A new exhibition at V&A Dundee telling the story of Valentines, Scotland’s most successful commercial photographers best known for popularising the holiday postcard, will open on Saturday 2 July.
Sincerely, Valentines – From Postcards to Greetings Cards reveals the story of Valentines and how the company, a once major employer to the city, pioneered techniques in photography, illustration and print design.
Developed in collaboration with University of St Andrews and curatorial practice Panel, the exhibition features never before seen photographs alongside printing plates, historical postcards, company magazines, booklets and greetings cards from the James Valentine Photographic Collection.
Valentines, founded in 1825 in Dundee, utilised the rapid developments in photography, printing and tourism in the early 20th century to create a ground-breaking body of work and providing a significant contribution to how photography could be used commercially.
The exhibition includes new work from designer Maeve Redmond who has created a series of oversized postcards inspired by Valentines archive print collection, and a new film by Rob Kennedy revealing stories from individuals who worked at the Dundee based company from the 1950’s to the 1990’s.
More photographs from the exhibition preview taken by our photographer Mhairi Edwards.
Sincerely, Valentines – From Postcards to Greetings Cards is displayed in V&A Dundee’s Michelin Design Gallery from 2 July 2022 until 8 Jan 2023.
V&A Dundee exhibition will celebrate the story of city postcard firm Valentines
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