Postcards & Photography

Early Alaska tourism postcards, featuring Native people, art and culture, captivate longtime postcard collector.

They're mostly all gone now, those quirky roadside attractions that captured the imagination of photographer John Margolies. But if you look hard enough, and let your memory squint long enough into the fading sun, well, they just might be down the road a piece.

No matter how different we may seem, the need to connect remains universal. And in so doing, we discover our similarities. And our humanity.

Architecture and design critic John Margolies spent nearly 40 years driving across the US, photographing the changing landscape of roadside attractions.

The photographer of the stars, László Willinger was prolific during the Golden Age of Hollywood, leaving behind glamorous images and collectible prints.

Famed photographer Peter Beard, who dazzled as a force of nature for decades, leaves behind a legacy of beautiful and collectible art.

Leonard Lauder is among the richest people in America. And yet it's his lifelong passion for the everyman hobby of postcard collecting that continues to capture his imagination. Lauder's collecting escapades provide a rich story – one he is happy to share.

Postcards, providing a window to the world for more than a century, get their due during National Postcard Week in May. But collectors celebrate these picturesque beauties year round because looking back helps us to understand who we are today.

Tame by today's standards, vintage postcards capture a provocative midcentury Sheraton Hotel business strategy: waitresses in gowns with plunging necklines and see-through skirts serving cocktails in swanky lounges. Sheraton promised “your favorite drink, mixed with a touch of genius… served with a touch of Venus.” And they delivered.