Greetings from Hudson County: A Postcard History Then & Now

January 27, 2019 - July 4, 2021.

“Greetings from Hudson County: A Postcard History Then and Now” comprises over 700 historic postcards from all 12 cities and towns of Hudson County. Most of the postcards date from the Golden Age of postcards, the 1900s – 1920s, showing parks, street scenes, scenic views and important municipal buildings, churches, schools and factories, when they were brand new and the pride of Hudson County.

Bringing the exhibit into the present is an augmented reality (AR) app that will enable visitors to compare current views to the historic images. Curated by Stevens professor Christopher Manzione, the app allows visitors to hold a smart phone in front of a postcard to see how the same street view looks today. Professor Manzione is a contemporary artist pushing the boundaries of technology and art. As the founder and director of the Virtual Public Art Project, he is a pioneer in using AR technology to produce original artists’ works in public spaces.

Each view old and new is narrated in the AR app in the voices of a diverse cast of Hudson County residents. We hope the exhibition will inspire visitors to explore our County in depth, to learn more about what was here before and what is there now. Can you name all 12 municipalities?

Click here to see a demo of the AR app

We also encourage visitors to revive the tradition of sharing experiences through sending postcards to friends and family. A vintage mailbox from 1880 will be installed in the Museum, and postcard stamps will be available for purchase in the gift shop. Mail will be delivered to the US Postal Service daily.

Accompanying the exhibition will be a full range of educational programs, including a lecture series and walking tours. For school children of different ages, we offer exhibit-related programs — contact the Museum director at info@hobokenmuseum.org or call 201-656-2240 for details. We welcome visits from almost every grade and every school in Hoboken – public, charter and private. With community support, we can expand our reach across all 12 municipalities in Hudson County. Please consider making a donation now to support our educational program offerings. Click on the “Donate” button at the top of this page.

Funds from the David Webster Memorial Fund were used to purchase some artifacts for this exhibition, including items from the estate of John DePalma. The exhibit was curated by Bob Foster and Rand Hoppe, with the AR app curated by Christopher Manzione. Holly Metz wrote the narrated captions in the app, and the captions for each of the municipalities is based on text provided by Cynthia Harris, manager of the New Jersey historical collections of the Jersey City Free Public Library.