One ad in the back of an old men’s magazine exclaimed “Gentlemen Stare at Redheads… Gentlemen Ogle Blondes… but GENTLEMEN PREFER BRONZE.”

The collection of photographs contained in this book fall somewhere in a poorly defined nebulous between vernacular, pin-up and straight pornography. The skill level of the photographers is evidently low, evidenced by the lack of care and consideration put into lighting, framing and developing the images. This of course ads a sort of primitive charm, a sense of sincerity and intimacy that more professional images often lack, and is only found again once you get to the upper echelons of portrait photographers.
These photos were never intended to be collected, they were intended to make money quickly and cheaply. All the source material for the images here were 4×5” prints, overwhelmingly black and white, that were sold in small sets from the back of men’s magazines or from under the counter.
If the French Postcard is noted for a sentimental, humorous, often classical and always romantic depiction of a nude female, these 4x5s would appropriately be the American equivalent. There was a quantity over quality, lack of sentimentality and crass aspect to them. Where the French Postcard might have offered the double-entendre, these American Postcards presented a single carnal meaning.