‘Gilded Age Newport & The Hamptons, Told Through Postcards’ Webinar

While a text, email, or social media post are the go-to ways in 2020 to share your travels with friends and family, postcards were the darlings of the 1920s and earlier. And for Gilded Age families at the time, having the most artistic postcard of their estate was not just an illustrative way to help passersby identify a local landmark, but rather a status symbol. It’s time to explore how the postcard ended up at the center of some of America’s most powerful families, all in the name of bragging rights.

Join New York Adventure Club for a virtual glimpse behind the hedges of America’s elite during the Gilded Age, told through rare color postcards dating back nearly a hundred years.

Led by historian Gary Lawrance, our virtual showcase of the color postcards depicting magnificent estates from Newport, Rhode Island to the Hamptons of Long Island — both standing and demolished — will include:

  • The beginnings of postcards, and how they went from basic black & white photos to becoming little works of art with the use of applied color
  • Sights and stories from dazzling villas of Newport, Rhode Island, to the more relaxed cottage style summer homes in the Hamptons, Long Island
  • How so many postcards were freely photographed and later sold at local drugstores
  • discussion around postcard artists, and the labor-intensive process of hand-coloring
  • rare look at the inscriptions on the back of the postcards telling more about the senders and their thoughts about the owners of the homes

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Gary — any and all questions about Gilded Age postcards are welcomed and encouraged!

Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, you’ll have access to the full replay for one week!

See you there, virtually! $10.

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you’re using the latest version of your internet browser — Google Chrome is the most compatible. Exact technical requirements and a webinar user guide will be shared in the automated confirmation email upon registration.

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

About Gary

Architect, Author, and Historian Gary Lawrance is an architect from Stony Brook, New York. His firm, Lawrance Architectural Presentations, provides design presentations, architectural models, digital renderings, and design development services to architects, landscape architects and interior designers.

Mr. Lawrance has an extensive background in the history of Gilded Age architecture, landscapes, and society, and co-authored the bestselling book, “Houses of the Hamptons 1880-1930” with Anne Surchin (Acanthus Press 2007, Revised 3rd Printing 2013).

Mr. Lawrance’s work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens, Newsday, New York Social Diary, Southampton Press, and more. Mr. Lawrance has written for Architectural Digest, Dan’s Papers, Quest magazine, and his two blogs, Mansions of the Gilded Age and Houses of the Hamptons in addition to founding and contributing to the two very successful Facebook groups, Mansions of the Gilded Age & The Gilded Age Society with over 160,000 members combined. Mr. Lawrance also manages two equally popular Instagram accounts, Mansions of the Gilded Age & The Gilded Age Society.











When: Wed., Sep. 16, 2020 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

While a text, email, or social media post are the go-to ways in 2020 to share your travels with friends and family, postcards were the darlings of the 1920s and earlier. And for Gilded Age families at the time, having the most artistic postcard of their estate was not just an illustrative way to help passersby identify a local landmark, but rather a status symbol. It’s time to explore how the postcard ended up at the center of some of America’s most powerful families, all in the name of bragging rights.

Join New York Adventure Club for a virtual glimpse behind the hedges of America’s elite during the Gilded Age, told through rare color postcards dating back nearly a hundred years.

Led by historian Gary Lawrance, our virtual showcase of the color postcards depicting magnificent estates from Newport, Rhode Island to the Hamptons of Long Island — both standing and demolished — will include:

  • The beginnings of postcards, and how they went from basic black & white photos to becoming little works of art with the use of applied color
  • Sights and stories from dazzling villas of Newport, Rhode Island, to the more relaxed cottage style summer homes in the Hamptons, Long Island
  • How so many postcards were freely photographed and later sold at local drugstores
  • discussion around postcard artists, and the labor-intensive process of hand-coloring
  • rare look at the inscriptions on the back of the postcards telling more about the senders and their thoughts about the owners of the homes

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Gary — any and all questions about Gilded Age postcards are welcomed and encouraged!

Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, you’ll have access to the full replay for one week!

See you there, virtually! $10.

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you’re using the latest version of your internet browser — Google Chrome is the most compatible. Exact technical requirements and a webinar user guide will be shared in the automated confirmation email upon registration.

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

About Gary

Architect, Author, and Historian Gary Lawrance is an architect from Stony Brook, New York. His firm, Lawrance Architectural Presentations, provides design presentations, architectural models, digital renderings, and design development services to architects, landscape architects and interior designers.

Mr. Lawrance has an extensive background in the history of Gilded Age architecture, landscapes, and society, and co-authored the bestselling book, “Houses of the Hamptons 1880-1930” with Anne Surchin (Acanthus Press 2007, Revised 3rd Printing 2013).

Mr. Lawrance’s work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens, Newsday, New York Social Diary, Southampton Press, and more. Mr. Lawrance has written for Architectural Digest, Dan’s Papers, Quest magazine, and his two blogs, Mansions of the Gilded Age and Houses of the Hamptons in addition to founding and contributing to the two very successful Facebook groups, Mansions of the Gilded Age & The Gilded Age Society with over 160,000 members combined. Mr. Lawrance also manages two equally popular Instagram accounts, Mansions of the Gilded Age & The Gilded Age Society.

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