Mailing off as part of my Postcard Diaspora project
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
Dear Hank,
This memorial is by far the most stupendous, huge, grand structure I ever saw. Nothing ever surprised me more. It’s just overpowering!! The massive statue of Lincoln inside. The whole of the Gettysburg Address engraved on the walls. The columns big enough so that I could stand inside the curves. (x) marks the position of the state of Minne-[sic] on the [illegible] states around the top. All the pictures I send you, I have at least seen the outside - of some of them the inside. Love, Peter.
Mailed October 13, 1928, to someone in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mailing this back to Minneapolis along with an accompanying letter that says the following:
POSTCARD DIASPORA
An ongoing project
Hello, thanks for opening this despite having no idea who mailed it to you. Let me fix that: My name is Christopher Goodwin and I’m an artist and writer in Durham, North Carolina. Accompanying this letter is an old postcard that has been in your house before.
You might be wondering why the heck I’m sending it to you. Well, I've collected used postcards for a long time; old postcards are like little time machines. I'm fascinated by the very particularized history that every image and message carries. The words — sometimes scrawled in haste, sometimes careful and deliberate — often give you a glimpse of the writer.
With all this in mind, I purchase old postcards in bulk to re-send to their original destination as a way for current residents to connect their home to the past. Postcards are ephemeral and too often simply thrown away. I enjoy the frozen moments in time they provide, no matter how banal the messages they bear may be.
I hope you don’t mind receiving the enclosed postcard. I encourage any feedback you might have, so please email me at chris[at]goodwinart.com or write to me using the enclosed postage-paid envelope.
This postcard is yours to keep. If for any reason you don't want it, I'd be grateful if you returned it in the envelope I included. Thank you!
PS: I’m always interested in receiving (and will often pay for) old letters, postcards, photos, paperwork, matchbooks, ticket stubs, and other types of paper ephemera. Much of my collection comprises items that have been passed down for generations; folks feel like they don’t have room for it but feel guilty tossing it in the garbage. If you know anyone in that situation, put them in touch with me.
Mailing off as part of my Postcard Diaspora project
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
Dear Hank,
This memorial is by far the most stupendous, huge, grand structure I ever saw. Nothing ever surprised me more. It’s just overpowering!! The massive statue of Lincoln inside. The whole of the Gettysburg Address engraved on the walls. The columns big enough so that I could stand inside the curves. (x) marks the position of the state of Minne-[sic] on the [illegible] states around the top. All the pictures I send you, I have at least seen the outside - of some of them the inside. Love, Peter.
Mailed October 13, 1928, to someone in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mailing this back to Minneapolis along with an accompanying letter that says the following:
POSTCARD DIASPORA
An ongoing project
Hello, thanks for opening this despite having no idea who mailed it to you. Let me fix that: My name is Christopher Goodwin and I’m an artist and writer in Durham, North Carolina. Accompanying this letter is an old postcard that has been in your house before.
You might be wondering why the heck I’m sending it to you. Well, I've collected used postcards for a long time; old postcards are like little time machines. I'm fascinated by the very particularized history that every image and message carries. The words — sometimes scrawled in haste, sometimes careful and deliberate — often give you a glimpse of the writer.
With all this in mind, I purchase old postcards in bulk to re-send to their original destination as a way for current residents to connect their home to the past. Postcards are ephemeral and too often simply thrown away. I enjoy the frozen moments in time they provide, no matter how banal the messages they bear may be.
I hope you don’t mind receiving the enclosed postcard. I encourage any feedback you might have, so please email me at chris[at]goodwinart.com or write to me using the enclosed postage-paid envelope.
This postcard is yours to keep. If for any reason you don't want it, I'd be grateful if you returned it in the envelope I included. Thank you!
PS: I’m always interested in receiving (and will often pay for) old letters, postcards, photos, paperwork, matchbooks, ticket stubs, and other types of paper ephemera. Much of my collection comprises items that have been passed down for generations; folks feel like they don’t have room for it but feel guilty tossing it in the garbage. If you know anyone in that situation, put them in touch with me.