In the early 20th century, sending a postcard was an affordable and quick way to connect with loved ones. Costing just half the price of a letter, postcards offered a simple yet effective way to share news, greetings, and sentiments. This exhibition features historical Oshawa postcards from the Thomas Bouckley Collection. Thomas Bouckley was a passionate collector of all things Oshawa—including postcards, photographs, and ephemera. The postcards in this exhibition are more than just snapshots of time; they are windows into the daily lives, humor, and culture of a community.
Among the postcards are novelty postcards—vivid, humorous, and sometimes cheeky cards filled with innuendo, romantic pursuits, and playful exaggerations, much like how we share memes today. Though many of these novelty postcards are not necessarily specific to Oshawa, they reflect the broader social trends of the time. With the rise of the telephone and other forms of communication, postcards became less of a necessity and declined in popularity. This exhibition reflects on the way people communicated in a time when sending a message was a physical act—a piece of paper carrying a piece of someone’s world. Whether humorous, scenic, or exaggerated, these postcards give us a glimpse into the shared experiences, personalities, and cultural identity of historical Oshawa.
