BORING POSTCARDS

Comment

Comment by John Gayer on January 15, 2020 at 6:22am

Boredom is in the eye of the beholder.

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on January 14, 2020 at 6:51pm

When is a Boring Postcard NOT a Boring Postcard?

I gave a talk on Boring Postcards at the end of last year, and showed some of my 'prize' examples. Someone complained that one or two of them were not 'Boring' Postcards, but rather 'Touristy' Postcards.

So, perhaps we should make distinctions between 'Definitely Boring Postcards', 'Touristy Boring Postcards', and 'Definitely Touristy but nevertheless Definitely Boring Postcards'.

Or, not bother...and just find some Boring and amusing examples to share.

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on January 14, 2020 at 3:43pm

Ruth and Jennifer -- Hello!

Hi, I liked the Hadrian's Wall Postcards, and the comments.

The Wall bought back memories.

I was born and bred in the NE of England (Darlington), and had to study Latin for the first 2 years in Grammar/High School.

Our eccentric Classics Master, Mr Lumsden, organised 2 trips to the Wall each year. The idea was that by the end of our 4 or 5 year studies we would have walked the entire length of the Wall, 'experiencing' the fortresses, the structure, and even the Roman latrines.

These trips were horrible. Our idea was to walk as little of it as possible, but rather to say 'Please can I sit in the bus, Mr Lumsden, because I've sprained my ankle?'; or sneak off somewhere and have a quiet fag (cigarette); or throw stones (and  bodily fluids and stuff) down the latrines); etc.

I was hopeless at Latin, and dropped it after a few years. I then switched to German -- which I failed.

Last thing my daughter (who, unlike her father, is a gifted linguist) teaches Classics at a Gymnasium in the Hague, Holland.

The End

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on January 14, 2020 at 3:35pm

Hi Jennifer! Here are the details of the Exhibition. Please send some Boring Postcards for it.

Thanks.

Thanks

**

BORING POSTCARDS EXHIBITIONS

WHAT? Boring Postcards are exactly what they say they are, namely Boring Postcards showing Boring photographs of Boring places, presumably for Boring people to buy and send to their Boring friends. They include Boring images of motorways, roundabouts, roads, hotels, bus stations, factories, housing estates, airports, camping sites, swimming pools, convalescent homes and shopping centres. They are, in a strange way, interesting because they are so un-interesting

FORMAT: Original commercial postcards (ie not home made ones) only, and, hopefully, with the original address and message on the back). Only original postcards will be displayed.

WHERE? Two exhibitions are planned in the spring and summer of 2020 – one in Sigean in the South of France, the other in Wolvega in the North of Holland. Details of the exact sites will be posted later.

WHEN? In the spring and summer of 2020. The exact dates will be posted later.

DEADLINE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS: August 10, 2020

MAIL TO: Please send your Boring Postcards by mail to: Valentine Mark Herman, 1 rue de la Vieille Fontaine, F – 11130 SIGEAN, France

THE MORE BORING THE POSTCARDS ARE THE BETTER!

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on January 14, 2020 at 5:58am

Close this down?

No! Please, no!

Are these Postcards Boring or not?

Who knows? Boringness is in the eye of the beholder.

I suspect that some of you did not look at the origins of this Group. (go to page 11 for the full story), and this is , in part, what I wrote at the very start of this Group:

"What makes a Postcard Boring? I have given considerable thought as to what makes a Postcard Boring – or not – and would like to share my ideas with you. When confronted with a Boring Postcard, I ask myself a number of questions. First, why did a photographer want to make a Postcard of this subject? Second, why did some printer and some seller think they could make money from this Boring Postcard? Third, why did anyone buy this Boring Postcard? Fourth, what message – visual or verbal – did the sender of the Boring Postcard mean to convey? And fifth, what on earth did the recipient of the Boring Postcard make of the image?

There are two additional considerations: First, a Postcard can be Boring because of what is in it – for example, a row of tents or beds, the interior of a tunnel, a piece of industrial equipment, an empty sports stadium, etc. Second,a Postcard can be Boring because of what is not in it – for example, a swimming pool with no swimmers in it, a street"

Many Boring Postcards later, I still believe this.

Over to you...

Comment by Nancy Nosegay on January 13, 2020 at 11:37pm

I found a copy of Boring Postcards at the Goodwill Bins in Portland, OR, a few weeks ago. Luckily there were a couple BPCs tucked inside. This is one of them.

Comment by Alan Brignull on January 13, 2020 at 10:01pm

I think this group will have to be closed down as we all discover that nothing is truly boring

Comment by RUTH GILES on January 13, 2020 at 9:47pm

I was thinking the same, Jennifer. It's actually a nicely composed photo too.

Comment by Diana Hale on January 13, 2020 at 6:21pm

Comment by RUTH GILES on January 12, 2020 at 8:32pm

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