Engelberg Magazin Nr. 19

Ausstellungs- und Buchvernissage «Gruss aus Engelberg»: 10. Dezember 2016, 17 Uhr 10./11. und 17./18. Dezember 2016: 14–17 Uhr 27. Dezember 2016 bis 8. Januar 2017: täglich 14–17 Uhr 11. Januar bis 9. April 2017: Mittwoch bis Sonntag, 14–17 Uhr Führungen durch die Ausstellung «Gruss aus Engelberg»: Mittwoch, 28. Dezember 2016, Samstag, 7. Januar 2017, Samstag, 25. Februar 2017, Samstag, 11. März 2017, jeweils 17.00 Uhr. Das Buch «Gruss aus Engelberg» ist ab 10. Dezember im Tal Museum für 35 CHF erhältlich. Greetings f rom Engelberg exhibition and Gruss aus Engelberg book launch par ty: 10 December 2016, 5 p.m. 10/11 and 17/18 December 2016: 2 to 5 p.m. 27 December 2016 to 8 Januar y 2017: Daily, 2 to 5 p.m. 11 Januar y to 9 April 2017: Wednesday to Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m. Guided tours of the “Greetings f rom Engelberg” exhibition: At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 28 December 2016; Saturday, 7 Januar y 2017; Saturday, 25 Februar y 2017; and Saturday, 11 March 2017 The book Gruss aus Engelberg goes on sa le at the Ta l Museum on 10 December (price: CHF 35; German on ly)

Sogenannte Potpourri-Karte, links drei Ansichten der Sommer- wirtschaft Schweizerhaus und der dort installierten Galgenke- gelspiel-Anlage und rechts ein Blick über den Talboden; ca. 1900. A multi-view postcard from ca. 1900 showing three images of the Schweizerhaus restau- rant and its swingball skittles game on the left, and the view across the valley on the right

Vintage picture postcards delight us with their old-world charm and awaken nostalgic yearn- ings for the past. But they also provide informa- tion on family history and document changing landscapes and landmarks. They are adored by philatelists, local historians, and numerous other ardent fans. They may only measure about 15 cm by 10 cm, but picture postcards are remark- able repositories of the past. Technica lly speaking, pic ture postcards are nothing but ephemera. The term, derived f rom the Greek ephemeros, meaning “ last-

was published in 1988 to mark the opening of the Ta l Museum. The book contains im- ages of 152 historic postcards f rom Engelberg, with accompany ing comments. The book was published in a limited edition of 1,000 and has long been out of stock. Owners va lue their copies greatly as reference works, and they of ten form the basis of ex tended discussions about days gone by, what buildings used to stand where, and the way things used to be. The Ta l Museum now houses 2,200 pic ture postcards of Engelberg. This is largely

ing on ly one day”, denotes any transitor y writ ten or printed mat ter not meant to be retained or preser ved. And yet, many ephemera f rom the past are still around today, many decades later.

thanks to the community organisation’s purchase of A lf red Steiner’s collec tion in 2005. But the stock keeps on growing, and – amazing as it may seem – it ’s still far f rom complete. Now, some of

Picture postcards are remarkable repositories of the past.

They include let ters, suitcase labels, beer- mats – and, of course, postcards. As a cursor y glance at eBay or other sa les sites demon- strates, postcards make up a large share of collec tions of ephemera. From 1910 to 1913 a lone, the Swiss posta l ser v ice delivered more than 100 million postcards to addresses at home and abroad ever y year. And a lthough they were of ten meant to be lit tle more than a brief “wish you were here”, thousands of these cards were never thrown away. It ’s easy to understand why people wou ld want to keep the cards, as they hold a fascination for many of us. If we come across an old post- card keeping place in a long-forgot ten book or unexpec ted ly f ind one in a box in the at tic, we usua lly peer eagerly at the image and tr y to decipher the ancient message. And, indeed, that is how many private collec tions began. Such private collec tions were the basis of the illustrated book Engelberg in a lten Ansichten (Old v iews of Engelberg), which

these treasures have been recovered f rom the archives and are going on show for postcard fans to admire once more. On 10 December 2016, the Ta l Museum is holding a book launch par ty for the successor to Engelberg in a lten Ansichten – the new volume is ca lled Gruss aus Engelberg (Greetings f rom Engelberg). The book and exhibition main ly present cards f rom the late 19th and early 20th centuries – the “golden age” of the postcard. Thematic focuses include the histor y of the va lley and tourism at that time; printing techniques; loca l pho- tographers and postcard makers; enhanced graphics and photo montages. And sometimes at tention is direc ted to the greetings writ ten on the reverse. Visitors and readers can look forward to a fascinating journey back in time!

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kultur | arts+culture

kultur | arts+culture