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Author of the exhibition: Jelena Perać MA, Senior Curator, Department of Photography and Applied Graphics
Since the time when they emerged in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, picture postcards – “illustrated post cards”, had been broadly distributed as visual material and they constituted significant part of the modern times visual culture. They belonged to that body of new visual media which were introduced in the nineteenth century. Introduction of picture postcards in our country actually dovetailed the introduction of picture films and the photographs were their great forerunner and source in the nineteenth century.
The 1895-1914 period is the time when picture postcards first emerged and were produced in the Kingdom of Serbia, i.e. it is the period of their appearance, development and broad distribution. The first series of picture postcards in Serbia was issued by the Belgrade bookshop of Velimir Valožić in 1895, soon to be followed by many series of this and other publishers.
The exhibition Picture Postcards in Serbia 1895-1914 is an attempt to treat and evaluate them as unique visual artefacts with function and meaning in the given cultural-historical and artistic context. Being a new, popular visual form massively produced and distributed, picture postcards were a powerful communication means and their function and effects in the public at the end of the nineteenth century could in many aspects be compared to the role taken over by mass electronic and digital media.
It is the function of picture postcards as means of mass communication that is the focal point of the exhibition presentation including the comprehensive paper of the author Jelena Perać. There are 367 exhibits displayed – picture postcards kept in collections of the Museum of Applied Art, National Library of Serbia and the Library of the City of Belgrade as well as in the private collection of Mr. Milorad Jurišić. They cover the following segments:
- Topographical picture postcards (urban public space, public edifices, public monuments landscapes views)
- Commemorating and topical postcards (public celebrations, pictures from the war)
- Portraits on picture postcards (portraits of famous people and heroes, images of ordinary people)
- Picture postcards – reproductions of works of art
- Advertisments on picture postcards
The exhibition is completed with a representative publication – catalogue containing a comprehensive analytical paper, copious choice of illustrations and the catalogue list. Prof. Dr. Miroslav Timotijević in his review of the paper of J. Perać said it had been based on systematic researches and shows profound knowledge of the related literature while methodologically resting on modern theories of visual culture.
Author of this most elegant display is arch. Bojana Djurović and Dragana Lacmanović gewts the credit for the sophisticated graphic design of the catalogue.
Greetings from Belgrade (Panoramic View of the Town. Railway Station. National Theatre)
Belgrade, 1898 Issue of the Bookshop of Velimir Valožić Drawing: Vladislav Titelbah Chromolithograph Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 23467
Prince Mihailo Street
Belgrade, around 1909 Issue of the Bookshop of Rajković and Ćuković Combination of techniques (autotype and collotype) Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 11399
Greetings from Belgrade
Belgrade, not later than 1914 (no label of the publisher) Photograph Collection of Miloš Jurišić
Palace of Justice. King\'s Court
Belgrade, 1899 Issue of Vilhelm Gerka Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 11397
New Court
Belgrade, 1906 Issue of B. M. Božić Photograph: M. Jovanović (?) Collotype Collection of Miloš Jurišić
Monument to Prince Mihailo
elgrade, 1909 Issue of the Bookshop of Rajković and Ćuković Combination of techniques (autotype and collotype) Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 23569
Greetings from Serbia
Belgrade, 1900-1901 Issue of Vilhelm Gerka Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 9478
Greetings from Vranje
Belgrade, 1896 Issue of the Bookshop of Velimir Valožić Drawing: Vladislav Titelbah Autotype National Library of Serbia, Pr 510/1
Greetings from Kragujevac: Mihailo Street
Kragujevac, 1899–1900 Issue of Ljubiša Đonić Photograph: Ljubiša Đonić Collotype Collection of Miloš Jurišić
Ćele Kula
Belgrade, around 1910 Issue of the Bookshop of Rajković and Ćuković Collotype, hand tinted Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 10929
Greetings from Serbia: From the Wedding Ceremony of the Royal Couple 23/7– 5/8 1900
Zemun, 1900 Issue of Dragutin Frankl Photograph: Milan Jovanović Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 23445
Triumphal Arch in Kolarčeva Street on the Arrival of HM King Petar I, 1st - 2nd June 1903
Belgrade, 1903 Issue of Solomon J. Koen «At the Napoleon\'s» Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 10499
Greetings from Serbia: Queen Draga. King Aleksandar I. Queen Natalija.
Serbia, 1900–1901 (no label of the publisher) Autotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 12313
Radoje Domanović
Belgrade, around 1910 Issue of the Bookshop of Svetislav B. Cvijanović Photograph Collection of Miloš Jurišić
Greetings from Belgrade: National Costume of Turkish Women
Serbia, 1899 (no label of the publisher) Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 10500
Greetings from Serbia: Serbian Costume
Serbia, not later than 1906 (no label of the publisher) Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 23456
Paja Jovanović, «Return from the Battlefield»
Belgrade, 1900–1901 Issue of Vilhelm Gerka Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 12284
Jaroslav Čermak, «Slaves from Herzegovinas»
Belgrade, 1908 Issue of the Bookshop of Rajković and Ćuković Collotype Museum of Applied Art, Inv. No. 22550
Grand Hotel «Pariz» of Sv. Botorić and Friends Brewery of Đorđe Vajfert
Belgrade, 1899 Issue of Grand Hotel «Pariz» Chromolithograph National Library of Serbia, Pr 786/I/3
Mechanical Plant of Embroidered and Knitted Ware of Mika Eškenazi
Belgrade, not later than 1906 Issue of Solomon J. Koen «At the Napoleon’s» Collotype City of Belgrade Library, Fund F-I-53, Inv. No. 753
