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In Brief

The Law in Postcards

Collection offers bemused look at the legal profession. Curated by Laurel Davis

       

A selection of humorous, nostalgic, and sometimes puzzling legal postcards has become a part of the law library’s rare book collection, a gift of Michael H. Hoeflich, the John H. & John M. Kane Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Kansas.

The cards in this collection were the focus of Professor Hoeflich’s book, The Law in Postcards and Legal Ephemera 1890-1962 (The Lawbook Exchange, 2012). In that book, he pulls out certain themes and trends that manifest themselves in the collection—cards involving animals and kids, holidays, love, money, advertising, etc. Many of those categories are reflected in our exhibit. Regardless of the subject matter and tone, Professor Hoeflich notes that the cards provide “a rich source for understanding the role of lawyers, the courts, and the law in popular culture.”

To view the postcard exhibit catalog, go to www.bc.edu/lawpostcards.