Social History

Collecting old postcard and pictures enables the viewer to glimpse a brief moment from that individual’s life; often far removed from their own either by the passage of time or social class.  Often described as “history from below” they show everyday people, their social structure and the interaction of different groups. Like the wealthy and politicians these people helped shape and maintain society and so shape history.

 

 

Examining the images one can’t help but wonder how the individuals lived, were their lives hard compared with today and were they happy. Often the images come with little or no information that can answer these questions, one can only imagine.

With each image saved and seen by others so that moment, that person is kept alive, our understanding is increased and so our lives are enriched.