Postcard

When postcards gained popularity, publishers soon appeared to cater for the needs of the Jewish community. During the heydays of postcard, between 1890 and 1918 sizeable Jewish communities emigrated to the United States and postcards became the natural conduit of communication between the newly arrived and those who stayed back home. Illustrations also conveyed new social roles towards the old country. This postcard, published by the New York Hebrew Publishing, shows the evolution of feminine roles. The three stages of the relationship between men and elegantly dressed women as depicted in the postcard are courting, harmonious relationship between groom and bride and dispute. Although somewhat ludicrous, it conveys towards the traditional Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, where marriages were traditionally arranged by matchmakers, a new type of marital relationship - one which is based on affection and mutual consent. The explanations underneath the images show the correct timeline of events from right to left as the writing goes in Hebrew and Yiddish.