New West
by Wolfgang Wagener, AIA, RIBA, and Leslie Erganian
SAH/SCC Life Members Wagener and Erganian present an utterly
charming and novel way to chronicle history—through images found on postcards. Culled
from their personal collection of linen postcards, the images serve up an
idealized view of the American West from 1930s to 1950s. Beautifully reproduced
showing brilliant colors and “linen” texture, the 500 postcards in the book are
woven together with an intensely researched narrative replete with timelines
and demographic charts. Organized by subject matter, the book delves into
chapters on innovation, landscape, infrastructure, architecture, and
entertainment, each beginning with an essay by either artist Erganian or architect
Wagener establishing historical context. Postcards are captioned with the
original text extolling the virtues of mountains, dams, freeways, beaches,
factories, and forests, among other subjects (those having no original
description are captioned by the authors and noted as such). The combination of
scholarly research, impeccable presentation, exhaustive examination, and sheer
visual delight make this a volume to appeal to professorial historians and
casual nostalgists alike.
Hirmer Publishers, 2019, 320 pages, hardcover, $65.
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