Published image from page 240 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
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HELLO & GOODBYE: POSTCARDS FROM THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century, presented by Museum of

80 cards from its extensive collection of around 1300, primarily donated by South

Indian subcontinent through the medium of postcards.

The exhibition highlighted how postcards emerged as a distinctive mode of communication – not only through written messages but also through their rich visual imagery. These postcards served as informal yet powerful carriers of ideas, opinions, and conversations across borders and communities. Hello & Goodbye

from across the subcontinent.

The postcards on display revealed a complex visual language centered around monumental buildings, mythical deities and the life of people. Many of these postcards were produced by Western printing presses and adopted by the Indian

capturing landscapes, monuments, and ethnographic documentation through a colonial gaze.

perceptions, outlooks, and a rising tide of nationalist sentiment.

Visitors to Hello & Goodbye experienced a slice of early 20th- century history and perception through these versatile postcards.

Published image from page 242 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 242 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 242 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 242 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 242 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 242 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 242 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 242 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 242 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 242 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 242 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 242 · Enlarge page

The exhibition encouraged interaction by allowing visitors not only to write and send postcards but also to digitally create their own, inspired by the collection.

Published image from page 243 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 243 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 243 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 243 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 243 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 243 · Enlarge page
Published image from page 243 of Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century
Published page 243 · Enlarge page
View original pages, photographs & credits
Original published page 240
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Original published page 241
Original page 241 · Open image to enlarge
Original published page 242
Original page 242 · Open image to enlarge
Original published page 243
Original page 243 · Open image to enlarge

Originally published in Museum Mosaic 2024, published May 2025.

Part of our annual review. Descriptions reflect the publication’s reporting period.