New York in Postcards 1880-1980: The Andreas Adam Collection

Description

The development of New York from colonial fur trading hub of New Amsterdam into one of the most vibrant and exciting cities on earth has been documented many times. Countless films, songs, photographs and books tell the story of this quintessential metropolis and global icon. But this lavish, beautiful volume offers a new perspective through Andreas Adam's vast collection of rare picture postcards that recount the city's changing identity and culture over a century. The 900 vintage cards in 'New York in Postcards 1880-1980', organised by subject and geographic area, bring to life the look and feel of their eras and vividly depict every aspect of New York City over a century: 19th-century street scenes, famous architectural landmarks, lush gardens, cars and trains, everyday life and historical events. The images themselves are a fascinating melange of artistic media, including archival photographs, drawings and paintings, and represent a wide range of styles from art nouveau to neo-objectivism, naturalism and pop art. This book is rounded-out with essays by Paul Goldberger, the 'New Yorker's' renowned architecture critic, and art historian Kent Lydecker on the visual narrative and the architectural history of New York and the cultural history of the picture postcard.

Thomas Kramer, born 1966, is managing director and chief editor of Scheidegger & Spiess Publishers since 2006. He read history and German literature and linguistics at the University of Zurich and is author and editor of several book on the history of film and on architecture. He has been culture editor with Tages-Anzeiger, a major Swiss daily newspaper, from 1998-2004 and chief culture editor of Switzerland's leading weekly newspaper Die Weltwoche from 2005-06 Andreas Adam, born 1945, took his degree in architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1971. After further studies and practice in London he opened his own architectural office in Zurich in 1976. He also curates exhibitions and is author of audiovisual presentations on urban history and the perception of images, and has contributed to various books and journals. He also works as a painter and art teacher.

"New York in Postcards, 1880 1980" provides a dual prism for viewing the city. . . . The book serves as both an architectural history and a history of ways of seeing the city. --Sam Roberts "New York Times ""