Postcards from Checkpoint Charlie
10 Apr 09
The Bodleian Library is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by publishing the third title in the Postcards from.... series, entitled Postcards from Checkpoint Charlie.
A set of commemorative postcards entitled Postcards of Political Icons: Leaders of the Twentieth Century is also being published.
The first set presents a remarkable collection of images to document the Wall’s presence over its 28-year history. The postcards trace the development of the Wall—from its beginnings as a simple stretch of barbed wire to the daunting final structure made of interconnecting concrete sections and containing over 300 watchtowers. The images capture scenes of tension and urgency, such as those at Checkpoint Charlie, where Allied and Soviet soldiers are in a tense standoff.
Others document the Wall’s ties with international leaders, including John F. Kennedy in 1963 when he declared his solidarity with all Berliners and Ronald Regan when he implored Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Wall. Berliners respond to the Wall’s presence, initially with bewilderment and curiosity, then with acceptance of the reality of the Wall, and finally euphoria as the Wall was toppled and thousands of joyful East Germans realised the fulfilment of their personal dreams at the conclusion of the Cold War.
Postcards of Political Icons: Leaders of the Twentieth Century draws together a unique collection of images of the individuals who influenced and shaped the course of the 20th century in the political arena. They include the leaders who presided over the demise of colonialism, who led the communist revolution, who were in the vanguard of the rise of dictatorship and fascism and who fought two world wars and prevented the start of a third war. They include individuals who never held political office or whose moment in the spotlight was brief, but whose influence was nevertheless profound.
Opening in the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II and continuing to the eve of the second Gulf War, Postcards of Political Icons presents the story of the 20th century through the politicians who led revolutions and coups, and who won and lost military wars and political elections, seen in sometimes unusual and often surprisingly personal moments. Charles de Gaulle gazes impetuously, hands on hips, as he puffs on a cigarette; Yasser Arafat wrestles with chopsticks; while Benito Mussolini, known for his public performances, strikes a defiant pose.
The books in the Postcards from… series feature images drawn from a stunning collection of political propaganda postcards, which was donated to the Bodleian Library last year. The collection was put together by John Fraser over a period of six decades. Immediately after the fall of the Wall, Mr Fraser travelled to Berlin. ‘I bought every postcard of the Wall I could find,’ he said. As a result he built up an impressive collection of several hundred postcards on this subject.
Each book in the series presents around 50 postcards, with an image from the front of the postcard printed on the right-hand page and the verso of the card on the facing left-hand page of the book, together with a caption explaining the card.