The invention of the postcard in the late nineteenth century revolutionized how people exchanged information and images. While first introduced in the United States, the postcard quickly spread across the world. In the realm of the Ottoman Empire, where post offices had operated since the middle of the nineteenth century, the postcard added a new dimension to the emerging technologies of communication.

Join us to hear Professor Shalom Sabar discuss how his review of extensive collections of Jewish postcards from Salonica (1897-1917) helps us to understand the self-perception and the experience of the Jews living in the city.

Lunch will be provided. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. Click the button below to register:

This event is co-sponsored by the Division of Art History at the University of Washington.

About the speaker

Shalom Sabar is a Professor Emeritus of Jewish Art and Folklore at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received his Ph.D. in Art History at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1987. He is the author of more than 250 publications exploring Jewish art and the material culture of Jewish communities in the Sephardi and Ashkenazi worlds in Europe and the Islamic East. His research areas include Jewish ceremonies and rituals, life cycle events, objects of daily life, ephemera, folk art, amulets, and magic, as well as the visual culture of illustrated Hebrew books and manuscripts. Shalom Sabar is also an avid collector of Israeli and Jewish ephemera and has guided numerous traveling seminars to Jewish sites in Europe, North Africa, India, and Central Asia

The University of Washington is committed to providing access and accommodation in its services, programs, and activities. To make a request connected to a disability or health condition contact Grace Elizabeth Dy at (206) 543-0138 or jewishst@uw.edu at least 10 days before the event.