Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Collection of Spanish Civil War Postcards and Trading Cards
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Abstract
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Collection of Spanish Civil War Postcards and Trading Cards is composed of postcards and trading cards related to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Many of the postcards in this collection were created as propaganda by combatant groups or were made by organizations such as the Red Cross to solicit donations and other forms of support. Most postcards in this collection were created by or in support of the Republican side of the conflict. Postcards are illustrated in different artistic styles, including Socialist realism, and some show photographs. Most postcards were never used. Some trading cards in the collection were created by companies such as the Bowman Gum Company and supported the Republicans, while other sets of trading cards were pro-Nationalist.
Historical Note
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Collection of Spanish Civil War Postcards and Trading Cards contains postcards and trading cards related to the 1936-1939 conflict between Spanish Nationalists under General Francisco Franco's military Junta and a coalition of socialist, communist, anarchist, and separatist groups known as the Republicans. Many of the groups who joined the Republicans were a part of the political left and had supported the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939).
This collection was assembled by Tamiment Library staff.
Arrangement
This collection has not been physically arranged by an archivist. Materials have been grouped by theme where appropriate and are listed in alphabetical order in the file listing.
Scope and Contents
The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Collection of Spanish Civil War Postcards and Trading Cards (1936-2000s) is comprised of over 400 postcards and trading cards related to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The materials in this collection were produced as visual propaganda to garner support for the Nationalists or the Republicans. Postcards were made by combatant groups, for example the Unión General de Trabajadores de España, and official propaganda ministries, as well as by humanitarian aid groups like the Red Cross, and organizations around the world who supported one side of the war, including the United Socialist Youth (Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas), which supported the Republicans. Some postcards were created to solicit donations, send to politicians, or draw attention to specific causes including refugee children and war prisoners. Most postcards in this collection were created by or in support of the Republican side of the conflict. Many of the postcards are in Catalan and were made by the Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya and the Commissariat de Propaganda de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Some postcards in the collection demonstrate support for the Basque Country (Euskadi).
This collection also includes some postcards from Spain that are not directly related to the Spanish Civil War, including postcards with photographs of Madrid, portraits of Catalonian men, and postcards depicting the traditional dress of various regions in Spain. There are also postcards depicting Spanish Civil War memorials, postcards created by the International Brigade Archives, and postcards made to publicize exhibitions of Spanish Civil War propaganda posters.
Many postcards in this collection feature graphics in the Socialist realism style. Others were made using other methods of illustration, and a small number show photographs. Some postcards have notes written on them and were posted, but most of the postcards in this collection are blank.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives are not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Collection of Spanish Civil War Postcards and Trading Cards; ALBA 242; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
There is no documentation concerning the provenance of these materials. The accession numbers associated with these items are 2001.005 and 2019.016.
Appraisal
In 2024, a box of reproductions of one original postcard in the collection was discarded.
Separated Materials
A series of trading cards entitled Children's Crusade Against Communism were separated and described as a separate collection, the Children's Crusade Against Communism Trading Cards TAM 786.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2019 have not yet been recorded. In 2019, the accretion materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. In 2024, the rest of the collection was placed in acid-free folders and boxes, including postcards that were previously stored in binders.
File titles were assigned by an archivist and were derived from the title of a postcard or trading card series, the entity that created the postcards, or the topic of the postcards.
