To celebrate the acquisition of the archive of distinguished
artist Tom Phillips, the Bodleian Library asked the artist to
assemble and design a series of books drawing on his themed
collection of over 50,000 photographic postcards. These encompass
the first half of the twentieth century, a period in which, thanks
to the ever cheaper medium of photography, ordinary people could
afford to purchase their own portraits. These portraits allowed
individuals to create and embellish their own self images,
presenting themselves as they wished to be seen within the trends
and social mores of their time. Each book in the series contains
two hundred images chosen from a visually rich vein of social
history. Their back covers also feature thematically linked
paintings, specially created for each title, from Phillips's
signature work, " A Humument." "Bicycles," as its title suggests,
documents the great age of the safety bicycle, which was welcomed
as a technology of emancipation for both women and men. Also
included are portraits of competitive racers and newly pedaling
toddlers. "
"These unique and visually stunning books offer a rich glimpse of
forgotten times and will be greatly valued by art and history
lovers alike. "These images are captivating visual vignettes. We
may not know who the subjects are, but the postcards offer us a
glimpse of their interests, their time, and their world. Tom
Phillips's exceptional collection gives us a fascinating chance to
retrieve something of these lives."--Sandy Nairne, Director,
National Portrait Gallery, London "Picture postcards from a century
ago capture unique moments in time and place and are a wonderful
social history record. Tom Phillips is adept at seeking out and
choosing amazingly evocative postcard images."--Brian Lund, editor,
"Picture Postcard Monthly"
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