Historical Postcards of Illnesses and Treatments

The picture postcard flourished in the period between 1890 and 1930. Greetings from...’ shows a collection of different kinds of medical postcards from this period.

Greetings from...’ tells the story of the Western fascination with the exotic and aberrant, and explores the elusive realm that exists between curiosity and entertainment.

Peter de Smet

The exhibition is based on the collection of some 600 picture postcards belonging to pharmacist and clinical pharmacologist Peter de Smet, and is augmented with cards and related objects from the museum’s collection. In this setting, objects such as disease masks and wax casts of body parts are put in a new perspective.