The Southampton History Museum presents the launch of a new digital series, “With Love From the SHM,” celebrating the museum’s extensive postcard collection.
Starting Thursday, February 13, and continuing every Thursday throughout the year, this series will reimagine the classic “Throwback Thursday” by sharing beautifully preserved postcards, some dating back to the early 20th century. These captivating images highlight the rich history and charm of Southampton and the surrounding area, offering a visual journey through time.
Before cellphones, computers, Instagram, and Facebook, there were postcards — visual messages with limited space for text, similar to posts of today. And like today’s social media content, postcards presented the opportunity to tell a story, share an experience, and evoke an emotion or memory by using a striking image in combination with a limited amount of words to get one’s message across.
The postcards will be shared on the museum’s Instagram (@southampton_museum) and Facebook, with themes that showcase Southampton’s heritage, including Lighthouses, Windmills, Ocean Scenes, Bathing, Street Views, and more. Each week, followers will explore a different part of the region’s history through the lens of these iconic postcards.
As part of this series, the SHM is inviting everyone to get involved and join in by sharing their vintage postcards in the comment sections of the museum’s posts and by using the hashtags #WLSHM, #WithLoveFromTheSHM, and #WithLoveSHM.
“This series takes a fresh look at our incredible postcard collection,” said Sarah Kautz, Executive Director of the Southampton History Museum. “Each postcard is like a mini archive of a very particular moment or memory, capturing the essence of its time. Most of all, they demonstrate a universal human desire to connect and tell stories — through a powerful image and a brief message. We invite everyone to join us by diving into their personal postcard collections and sharing their memories with us on social media.”