In the days before Photoshop effectively took all the fun out of trick photography, the photographic postcard was a treasure trove of visual wonders, the only real outlet for so-called ‘special effects’ that the public had ever seen. Drawing on a vast collection of postcard ephemera, The Stamp of Fantasy presents an intriguing selection of imagery, from Surrealist flights of fancy to those staples of seaside photobooths, the painted comedy backdrop.
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Sex and seduction are never far from the minds of these early exponents of collage art; interspersing studio shots with salacious pictures has always been a staple of the commercial photographer. The book also delves into artistic movements proper, and the role the unique piece of mail art played in disseminating ideas and aesthetics around Europe.
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The Stamp of Fantasy: The Visual Inventiveness of Photographic Postcards, Ute Eskildsen, Steidl, £30
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