Atomic Postcards: Radioactive Messages from the Cold War

John O’Brian

Co-Authored with Jeremy Borsos
2011

Atomic postcards played an important role in disseminating a public image of nuclear power. Presenting small-scale images of test explosions, power plants, fallout shelters, and long-range missiles, the cards were produced for mass audiences in China, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Japan and link the multilayered geographies of Atomic Age nationalism and tourism. From the unfailingly cheery slogans – ‘Greetings from Los Alamos’ – to blithe, handwritten notes and no-irony-intended ‘Pray for Peace’ postmarks, these postcards mailed from the edge of danger offer a fascinating representation of a time when the end of the world seemed close at hand.