Armchair Travels Across the 20th Century
Introducing the Erich Sonntag Postcard Collection
In the Beginning Were…Boxes. Many Boxes.
This is the story of tens of thousands of picture postcards, collected over decades by my late grandfather, Erich Sonntag (1922-1988). I came into possession of these postcards by happenstance, I would add.
Boxes like those in the picture shown below:
1. Why this Weblog? Why Now?
My grandfather died in February 1988, and my grandmother died twelve years later in summer 2000. I recall helping to clear out her apartment, with the postcard collection being not really on my 18 year-old younger self’s mind.
Some boxes fell down, we stuffed everything back in and put them into storage. And then I almost forgot about them.
Fast-forward two decades, and my parents, who somehow kept the boxes and didn’t throw them away, asked if I would like to have them. So I said, hell, yes, I’d love to, without hesitation, without knowing what I’d get myself into, and with even fewer ideas what to do with them.
I have the great privilege of being a professional historian; I currently teach at the Dept. of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion. And while my research background so far is firmly grounded in post-mediaeval and pre-industrial Europe, when I obtained these boxes filled with picture postcards in autumn 2023, I was intrigued and very much hooked.
As I write this first posting here, I am very confident that out of these boxes a new avenue of research (or two, three, many) may emerge. While this year’s schedule is already overflowing, I am very much looking forward beginning to write a solid book based on, and deriving from, the information contained in—rather: on—many of these postcards.
Therefore, these pages serve a twofold purpose:
First, this is a scholarly journal that encourages interaction with other interested individuals—and, please understand, it doesn’t matter if you’re here for the picture postcards ‘only’ or for further reading, commentary, or the like.
Second, these pages and the book that shall, God willing, be written before too long, are a kind of memorial to the collector, my late grandfather, his legacy, and the world of the twentieth century, an era that, as it happens, recedes ever further into history. Hence, the only appropriate title for these pages is my grandfather’s name.
2. What Engagement I am Looking For?
By now, my thoughts are ripening, and I’ve seen some (scholarly) literature—foremost Alison Rowley’s wonderful Open Letters: Russian Popular Culture and the Picture Postcard, 1880-1922 (U of Toronto Press, 2013)—talked to some people here and there, and met with the good people of the local postcard collectors’ association (yes, there’s one of these outfits ‘even’ in my neck of the woods).
Come June 2024, I’ll be travelling to Prato, Italy, to outline a few of my thoughts and invite commentary at a dedicated postal history conference. By then, I’m sure that my thoughts will be a bit clearer about the way forward.
So much about me—what about you, my dear readers?
I’m willing to share many of these postcards with you, and I’ll gladly check the Erich Sonntag Postcard Collection for places you’re interested in (which I’ve done before).
Moreover, I think that by the time the first couple of postings are online, you and I will get some new insights into the twentieth century.
Hence, do reach out, via email (see my faculty profile), post a comment, like, and share these pages.
Finally, if you’re someone looking for illustrations for a publication or the like, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
3. What to Expect from These Pages
I shall post quite frequently—perhaps 2-3 postings of various lenght during any week and a selection of images on the weekends, which I’ll call “Armchair Travels to the 20th Century.”
All postings will be free of charge; until and unless comments get too much, I reserve the right to restrict posting to (paid) subscribers.
Once (if) a substantial number of subscribers materialises, revenue from the paid subscriptions will be directed towards the following things:
Webspace, primarily, as I intend to digitise and inventorise a sizeable number of these postcards
Databank design and maintenance, as any large inter-related database requires quite a bit of attention
Webdesign and hosting, as I intend to make the Erich Sonntag Collection fully accessible in the near future
4. Should You Subscribe for the Pictures ‘Only’?
Of course, and please remember: while this endeavour will eventually result in a book about picture postcards, I would like you to enjoy them as much as I do.
As an added benefit, your engagement makes me work faster on the ‘liberation’ of some 800 kilograms (according to customs papers) worth of picture postcards that are, as shown in the picture above, tucked away, sadly, in boxes in my office.
Thank you for reading; I hope you will enjoy this journey as much as I do.
Looking forward to this. I told myself I would not--could not--subscribe to more Substacks, but what is one more, right?
You too: I have the great privilege of being a professional historian. Well I'm not professional, but it is an interest thing. I like to collect information on the basis that information is knowledge and knowledge is knowing what others don't. I catalog my digital eBooks by the date when an event occurred, so while libraries file books under a history reference and they are all jumbled under that reference, mine are all in historical date order that a battle or whatever of historical interest occurred, they are all in English and put up free on the internet, so I don't inquire into the legality of any of it and I have thousands of history eBooks on a 2TB hard drive, which is getting quite full now.
I also used to collect ships plans and tanks, aircraft and what have you, from the first published plans in paper technical journals I had access to in my country of residence but which were held in library archives where a photocopier became my tool to record the wonderful plans I found inside and which I took home and catalogued, before computers and the internet of course and I have thousands of paper copies of each of those too in lever arch files. I used to construct detail scale large models in paper and card, ships which I used to play with on the water by radio control after coating the finished hull with the stuff made from insects shells, can't remember the name of the stuff but it had a Turpentine base - ah Shellac., but later varnish did the trick. Time passes and things change and I don't do that building technique anymore. Probably my pleasure with computers and the internet took over - got about 8 windows PC's now and umpteen monitors each one bigger than the last, give oldies away to anyone who wants them, starting off on the internet.
I have an interest in digital Polish, Russian, German, etc Card Kits - paper kits you might call them and I have thousands of those too, all catalogued by name specific to what they are, aircraft, ships, tractors, trucks, buses, buildings and what have you, all digital, again approaching 2TB for them too and eBooks on the actual vehicles or whatever as well, all catalogued in date order - my computers automatically sort by name A-Z so that makes cataloging them so much easier and I don't use a professional recording software program for that reason.
I was collecting early digital Maps as well at one time, the maps dating back to C.1000 or earlier, don't see them anymore, freebies, so don't now.
Can't imagine what will happen to it all when I die - probably all get sold on online overseas also, auctions - my estate going to Doctors Without Borders - Medicines Sans Frontiers as the French call it, give back what I was fortunate to get in my lifetime,the best possible way I can, leaving no dependents and all that.