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Content warning: Racist depictions and nudity | colonial contexts
The collection serves the scientific research of the colonial era and its reception and is shown exclusively for this reason on the pages of the USB Cologne. Regardless of this, the depictions are racist and degrading. This applies in particular to the depiction of unclothed people, including children. This can trigger negative reactions.
Colonialism and African Diaspora on Picture Postcards
The digital collection Colonialism and African Diaspora on Picture Postcards comprises 3027 postcards showing Africans and African-Americans in the period of colonialism. It is based on the collection of a private person from Hamburg who released the scans for digitisation.
This digitisation was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and supervised by Prof. Dr. Margit Szöllösi-Janze and Prof. Dr. Norbert Finzsch as part of the Cultural Studies Research College "Media and Cultural Communication" (SFB/FK 427) at the University of Cologne. At the end of the project, the high-resolution scans were uploaded to the collection portal of the University and City Library of Cologne, where they were processed according to various criteria. The postcards do not only contain up to ten keywords, they can also be searched for the publisher as well as the language of the handwriting and the publication.
A note of the University and City Library: The collection serves the scientific research of the colonial period and its reception and is shown exclusively for this reason on the pages of the UCL Cologne. Nevertheless, from today's perspective, the representations are racist and degrading. This applies in particular to the display of undressed persons, including children.
Selected Literature (German)
The collection has already undergone a scientific treatment in the dissertations mentioned below:
- Lewerenz, Susann: Geteilte Welten : exotisierte Unterhaltung und Artist*innen of Color in Deutschland 1920–1960 / Susann Lewerenz. - Köln ; Weimar ; Wien : Böhlau Verlag, 2017. - 504 S. : Ill. - (alltag & kultur ; 15) Zugl.: Hamburg, Univ., Diss., ISBN 978-3-412-50569-1 ; 3-412-50569-2 Signatur: 18B7375
- Kollarz, Anika-Brigitte: Aus dem Rahmen - ein weisses Gedicht auf 'nem schwarzen Gesicht : Visuelle Repräsentationen Schwarzer Frauen zwischen der deutschen Kolonialzeit und der Weimarer Republik / Anika-Brigitte Kollarz. - Darmstadt: Technische Universität, 2017 Zugl.: Darmstadt, Technische Univ., Diss.
- Axster, Felix: Koloniales Spektakel in 9 x 14 : Bildpostkarten im Deutschen Kaiserreich / Felix Axster. - Bielefeld : Transcript, 2014. - 247 S. : Ill. - (Post-koloniale Medienwissenschaft ; 2) Zugl.: Köln, Univ., Diss., ISBN 978-3-8376-2209-6 - ISBN 3-8376-2209-6; Signatur: 11V7974
- Kusser, Astrid: Körper in Schieflage : Tanzen im Strudel des Black Atlantic um 1900 / Astrid Kusser. - Bielefeld : Transcript, 2013. - 501 S. : Ill. - (Post-koloniale Medienwissenschaft ; 1) Zugl.: Köln, Univ., Diss. ISBN 978-3-8376-2060-3 - ISBN 3-8376-2060-3; Signatur: 11V7656
Special features of digitisation
Extent: 3027 Objects
Status: Completed
Digitisation period: 2008
Format: DIN A6
Resolution: 300 dpi
Creation of the scans: Project-related digitization of the UCL Cologne
Quality Control and Web Presentation: Collection Management of UCL Cologne
All rights reserved - Free access
This object (Digital Collection Colonialism and African Diaspora on Picture Postcards) is subject to copyright and/or related rights. The object is accessible free of charge, but its use is subject to the license terms of the institution providing the object.
Except as expressly provided in the license agreement, you may use this object in accordance with the laws of your country, including browsing, printing, and making a copy for your personal use.
All other acts of reproduction and public distribution are subject to the license terms attached to this object.
If you use our digitised documents, we would be pleased about the citing of our name.
This collection is marked with Open Access.
Open Access refers to the worldwide free access to scientific publications on the Internet, subject to copyright protection. No legal or financial barriers should stand in the way of the reader worldwide.
Open Access at the University and City Library of Cologne