Brooklyn Bridge, New York (1929) by Walker Evans and Woolworth and Municipal Buildings from Brooklyn Bridge, New York (1910s), Artist Unknown

Inspiration bubbles up from all around; Walker Evans took some of his from the postcard racks at the local five and dime. Currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are selections from Evans’ massive archive of postcards hung alongside some of his matter-of-fact American views.

Unbeknownst to me, the postcard originated in 1907 when the postal service decided to allow correspondence and  address to share the same side of a piece of mail. Evans collected some 9,000 of these humble gems. As Roberta Smith begins her review of the show, “Nothing comes from nowhere, least of all art.”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Special Exhibitions: Walker Evans and the Picture Postcard