Florida State University Libraries
2016
20th Century Tall Tale Postcards
Sophia Irwin and Michael Neal
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Tall Tale postcards began to appear around the shift
from the 19th to 20th century. Postcards often acted
as substitution for travel in a time where mobility was
more limited. Staging postcards contributed to the
overall perception of a place, especially small, rural
communities that did not get much attention and
wanted to encourage population and growth. Rural
communities did not have the same attractions as
metropolitan areas that truly delighted travelers;
they had to display what they did have and make it
as captivating.
Tall Tale postcards come distinctly from the perspective
and traditions of folklore. There is a clear goal in telling a
story that is too fantastical to believe. These postcards act
as hyper-condensed storyboards with the intentional
combination of images and texts. The brevity of its format
makes it necessary for the author to provide enough to set
a context, but leaves enough that the audience may
interpret the scene and story in a personal way.
Personal interpretation can come from oneÕs own
additions in the skeleton of the story, or the additions
made by those who sent the card. The element of kinship
with someone who sends the card creates a connection in
the mind that associates your loved one with this fantastic
image. This adds to the perceived realism of the piece as
well; you know the person who sent the card and the
images are in photographs and all of these things are
understood to be in the material, ÒrealÓ world.
This project aims to examine postcards as primary artifacts in understanding the
lasting rhetorical effects of exaggerations in circulation. The focus is primarily on 20th
century postcards and two branches of postcards that employ an element of
exaggeration: Tall Tale postcards and Exaggerated postcards. Throughout the project
careful attention is paid to how visual elements work in conjunction with writing-whether itÕs captioned writing or user added. Attempts to explain how these images
influence perceptions of especially rural location and how a sense of place is cultivated
in remote locations within the United States guide the project through itÕs major points
of inquiry. This exhibit will connect questions such as: Do postcards leave their
recipients with an accurate sense of their origin? Is photography as a medium more
persuasive? Do postcards work to preserve a history of a location or is the history
influenced by the texts that are generated there? How does the element of
exaggeration work rhetorically to accomplish short-term and long-term effects?
The conclusion of this exhibit opens a question to the audience about the
perseverance and pervasiveness of the myth of American abundance. How this
narrative of excess has created an expectation of the United States and how this
narrative is perceived and manipulated through time and transculturally.
The imagistic component of Tall Tale postcards, combined with a
narrative motive, became a part of a phenomenon of showing
purposefully doctored images in an effort to add substance to an
exaggerated story. It was assumed by many that photographs
couldnÕt deceive because they captured what was right before
them. Added text, captioning, or titling the pictures on the
postcards completed a narrative that would never be accepted in
writing alone.
Scholars cannot definitively gauge how ÒacceptedÓ these postcards
were by recipients. Arguments that the audiences would be aware
of the fictitious nature of the images have merit. Humorous
understanding isnÕt a post-20th century invention, and the images
they portrayed would inspire anyone to be incredulous. ItÕs still
possible though, that the audiences were truly captivated by the
depictions. Modernity has eroded oneÕs ability to believe what is
seen, but perhaps that wasnÕt always true. In todayÕs age of
Photoshop skepticism prevails, but itÕs hard to believe that this
standard prevailed within this timeframe. Both arguments are likely
true to an extent; even still, the images left a lasting impression of
rural landscapes on the urban areas they traveled creating stories
akin to magical realism.
The evolution of exaggeration within the narrative of abundance in
the United States has been contingent upon the perception of
excess. For decades the U.S. has cultivated a myth of exorbitance
that has come define the scope of American culture. This fa•ade
was endorsed and perpetuated internationally. As this myth grew
and disseminated transculturally it took shape through audience
response and mutated to fit a multitude of expectations both
positive and pejorative. In America the resources and
opportunities are plentiful enough to provide for those seeking to
provide for themselves. Paralleling the images of agricultural
abundance, the associations are those of bountiful overabundance. In a time where political revolutions seized countries
and left citizens with a paucity of resources, America continued to
expand syphoning resources from neo-colonial pipelines. Images
of abundance changed from enormous produce to American
families buying houses, cars, and appliances. The wealth to
consume and the means to manufacture became the new
currencies in a global cultural capital scheme. Immigrants from the
underdeveloped countries surrounding the United States have
since emigrated from their native communities to partake in the
same dream that indulged the Euro-American settlers before them.
ItÕs difficult, in some of the older cards, to estimate where the
comedic elements apply. Certainly, there is something comical
about men in a small boat reeling in mammoth fish, or a young boy
cutting a tomato with a saw, but the effects of this humor on
audience suspension of disbelief is difficult to gauge. These same
elements, as well, that can be classified as ÒcomicalÓ have an
element of prideful boasting as well. For the rural communities
producing these images, the land and what it yields was a means of
living. Photographs illustrating incredible produce show pride in
the work of the people cultivating the land. And the ability of men
to overtake animals of incredible sizes shows physical prowess and
capability as well as a need to be ÒtoughÓ to survive in these parts
of the United States.
Characteristics and traits exist on a continuum and the
collective perception of these characteristics as they manifest
affect where on this continuum they are judged. In the early part
of the 20th century the idea of abundance was paramount to
production. To defy the resource scarcity that plagued other
industrial nations enabled an incredible surplus that soon
became expectation. As the United States has grown into its selfinflicted exuberance the perception of bounty has degenerated
into over-indulgence.
Over-consumption, over-production, and over-reaching have
redefined the international lens focusing on the United States.
The extravagance that once proved position now incites
reprimands of wastefulness and greed. The abundance that
once created the wealth of an empire is now the catalyst of
destruction.
th
20
Century Tall Tale
Postcards
Research Conducted By: Sophia Irwin
Sponsoring Professor: Dr. Neal
Thank you those who made conducting this research possible, especially: my sponsoring
professor Dr. Michael Neal, my UROP leaders Kelley Cunningham and Taylor Crosby, all of the
helpful staff in the Digital Studio on campus, and the Honors Program at FSU for working to
coordinate this program and proving students with this opportunity for growth.