Readers

Vintage People on Photo Postcards

Phillips Tom, Lodge David

To celebrate the acquisition of the Tom Phillips archive, the Bodleian Library has 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 own their portraits. "Readers" shows people reading (or pretending to read) a wide variety of material from the Bible to Film Fun, either in the photographer's studio, in their own home or holidaying on the beach. Each book contains 200 images chosen with the eye of a leading artist from a visually rich vein of social history. Their covers will also feature a thematically linked painting, especially created for each title, from Tom Phillips' signature work, "A Humument".

About the author

Tom Phillips CBE, RA (born 24 May 1937) is an English artist. He was born in London, where he continues to work. He is a painter, collagist, writer and composer.

Reviews

"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 of the National Portrait Gallery

"Tom Phillips has one of the greatest postcard collections in the world – the ultimate archive of British citizens from the turn of the century" – Martin Parr, photographer and postcard collector

"These books will fascinate anyone interested in humanity or in the contrivances of image-making" – Richard Morphet, curator and postcard expert

"Picture postcards 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