Benjamin Weiss

"... traces how big historical and cultural themes of the modern age played out on the postcard's tiny canvas. Urban entertainments, the changing role of women, sports, celebrity, new technology, revolutionary artistic movements, and the rise of nationalism leading to world war were all fair subjects for [postcards]. Many famous artists turned to the new medium." --book jacket.

"The seventeenth century has long been considered a "golden age" for Dutch art, fueled by the Dutch Republic's growth as an economic world power. Nourished by an innovative stock market and burgeoning global trade network, this vibrant economy not only provided artists with a rich context in which to make their art, but also directly influenced the art itself--in its subject matter, materials, meaning, and interpretation. The genre scenes and still...