Throughout her extensive travels over five decades, Jessica B. Harris has been proactively documenting the food traditions of the African Diaspora, shedding light on the historical significance of food and the individuals involved in its production, sale, and preparation. In addition to gathering recipes, she has also developed a passion for collecting vintage postcards, revealing a lesser-known aspect of the celebrated culinary historian and cookbook author.
Having authored several cookbooks, including “High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey From Africa to America,” which has been adapted into a Netflix series, Harris’s focus shifted to her collection of vintage postcards, culminating in the book “Vintage Postcards From the African World: In the Dignity of Their Work and the Joy of Their Play.”
In this publication, Harris shares three concise essays detailing her journey as a collector, delves into the anthropological significance of the images, and provides a historical account of postcards. Furthermore, she offers a brief guide on how to date postcards based on various attributes such as size, printing quality, and other specific features. Notably, all the postcards in her collection were created no later than the “White Border Period,” spanning from 1915-1930.
The bulk of the volume comprises 90 pages, featuring postcards from Harris’s personal collection, accompanied by detailed captions. Organized by geographical regions, the postcards are categorized into four sections: The Farm, The Garden, and The Sea; The Marketplace; The Vendors and The Cooks; and Leisure, Entertainment, and Festivities. As a result, the book provides a visual journey through the cultural and historical dimensions of the African World.
Harris, 73, has harbored an interest in postcards since her teenage years. During her initial trip to Europe in the summer of 1963, she began amassing souvenir postcards depicting typical tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, and the Baptistery in Florence, Italy.
By the early 1970s, her collection expanded as she ventured into her doctoral dissertation on the French-speaking theater of Senegal. It was during this period that she came across the work of Michel Renaudeau, a Frenchman residing on Goree Island, who had authored multiple books based on his collection of antiquarian postcards featuring West African scenes.
Over time, Harris’s focus shifted towards vintage postcards, leading her to uncover remarkable finds in markets, obscure bookstores around the world, and from online sellers on platforms like eBay. This shift fueled her deep analysis of the postcard images, unveiling a wealth of culinary, cultural, and geographical knowledge. Her scrutiny raised questions about the photographer’s intent, the agency of subjects, and issues such as racism and ethnographic curiosity prevalent during the period of the postcards’ creation.
While traveling the world and documenting foodways of the African diaspora, Jessica B. Harris has been collecting vintage postcards. Harris culls an incredible amount of information from the postcard images and shares her insights with readers. She refrains from collecting the postcards and focuses on the details revealed in the images captured.
Specific points of culinary or cultural history are illustrated in some of the postcards. For example, postcards surrounding peanut cultivation in Senegal depict the massive enterprise of peanut oil trade mandated by French colonial powers, complete with taxes and tariffs. The seemingly innocuous cards provide textbook examples of colonial exploitation. Another card details the fish caught by Senegalese fishermen, providing insight into the size and variety of fish caught in the early twentieth century that are no longer available today.
The cards encompass all aspects of material culture, showcasing art, craft, design, social norms, and cultural references. Harris finds herself intrigued by details such as the woven texture of a basket, the shape of a pot or jar, and the twist of a head-tie. She also notes developing parallels among different categories, such as the similarities of pose among market women in various locations and the depiction of people preparing rice in different settings.
Additionally, postcards from the American South depict African Americans at work and at play, reflecting a different feel than those of Europe. Some of these cards feature racist and stereotypical images, providing insight into America’s prevailing racism towards African Americans during the post-Reconstruction period.
Harris focuses on capturing the details of material culture in the postcard images, emphasizing art, craft, and design, rather than collecting them for their colonial depiction.
Griot. – St- Louis (Sénégal). HOSTALIER, St-Louis (Sénégal). Back: Carte Postale. Ce côté est exclusivement reserve à l’adresse [This side is reserved exclusively for the address]. (Undivided Back. Mailed 1904.) | Courtesy Jessica B. Harris, University Press of Mississippi
Jessica B. Harris has been collecting vintage postcards while traveling the world and documenting foodways of the African diaspora. Her unique lens through which to view the images is influenced by her background, expertise, and career-long dedication to excavating and studying Black culture and food history. Harris began her career as a journalist in the 1970s, eventually becoming the travel editor at Essence magazine. She taught in the English department at Queens College at the City University of New York for five decades and is now a professor emerita. In addition to these achievements, she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2019 and received a James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. She also heads the Culinary Institute of America’s new African Diaspora Foodways initiative and serves as lead curator for the “African/American: Making the Nation’s Table” exhibition from the Museum of Food and Drink in New York that will be on view in 2022.
She states in the book that she is not a postcard scholar, but she has a discerning collection of vintage postcards. Postcards were introduced in the 1860s and became popular by the early 20th century. Harris explains that postcards and their images bear silent witness to the changes in time. They document the growth of cities after the Civil War in the United States and parallel the apogee and decadence of colonialism in Africa and the Caribbean. These small rectangular souvenirs house memory and provide photographic evidence of a world that was, and is, no more.
TOP IMAGE: 151 Nègres au Café Maure [Blacks in a Moor-ish café]. “Oran 13 mai, 1904 and illegible signature.” Collections ND Phot. Back: Carte Postale. Ce côté est exclusivement reservé à l’adresse [This side is reserved exclusively for the address]. Etablissements Photographique de Neurdein Frères. – Paris. (Undivided Back. Mailed 1904). | ourtesy Jessica B. Harris, University Press of Mississippi
WATCH MORE about Jessica B. Harris’s latest projects, “High on the Hog,” on Netflix and the forthcoming “African/American” exhibition with the Museum of Food and Drink
Among the Orange Groves in Florida. 117. Back: “The orange, a native of Asiatic Countries, was brought to America by the Spaniards in the 16th century. The blossoms are exquisitely fragrant with delicious white petals. A tree in all of its golden glory of ripened fruit is a delight to see.” “Tichnor Quality Views” Tichnor Bros., Inc. Boston, Mass. (Divided Back). | Courtesy Jessica B. Harris, University Press of Mississippi
“`html
Southern Dinner Toter, Macon, Ga. | Courtesy Jessica B. Harris, University Press of Mississippi
-
Jessica B. Harris: “My two most recent post card purchases… highlight a question that I, and indeed most who look at the cards, have. What is the thing that the card is trying to explain or express? The first card was the usual type that I’d acquired over the years: a studio portrait of an adorable serious-faced young boy with a basket over his arm and what appears to be a dinner pail in another. His clothing is tattered and held together with a safety pin, and he has on a cap and the basket reads ” Mr. F. Patton.” The notation at the bottom of the card reads “Southern Dinner Toter, Macon, GA.”
49 Guadeloupe – Type de Femme [A type of woman]. Back: Carte Postale. Levy et Neurdien reunis, 44, rue Letellier Paris. (Divided Back). | Courtesy Jessica B. Harris, University Press of Mississippi
The Zapateo, Tipical [sic] Cuban Dance. Back: Union Postal Universal Post Card Republica de Cuba. (Divided Back). | Courtesy Jessica B. Harris, University Press of Mississippi
ALL IMAGES: Courtesy Jessica B. Harris, From “Vintage Postcards from the African World: In the Dignity of Their Work and the Joy of their Play” by Jessica B. Harris, Copywright © 2020 by Jessica B. Harris, published by University Press of Mississippi
BOOKSHELF
Jessica B. Harris recently wrote a book about her life. “My Soul Looks Back: A Memoir” explores her fascinating experiences and connections with boldface names including James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison, as well as Sam Floyd, a fabulous cook and fellow professor at Queens College, who introduced her to Baldwin. “High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey From Africa to America” by Harris was made into a new Netflix series. She has published volumes on African cuisine, including “The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent” and “Iron Pots & Wooden Spoons: Africa’s Gifts to New World Cooking” and written about African American food traditions in “Welcome Table: African-American Heritage Cooking,” “Beyond Gumbo: Creole Fusion Food from the Atlantic Rim,” and “Martha’s Vineyard Table.” Harris is also the author of “Sky Juice and Flying Fish: Traditional Caribbean Cooking.” She offers wisdom about the basics in “On the Side: More Than 100 Recipes for the Sides, Salads, and Condiments That Make the Meal” and compiles favorites in “Rum Drinks: 50 Caribbean Cocktails, from Cuba Libre to Rum Daisy.”
DISCLOSURE: Jessica B. Harris is among the generous supporters who have made donations to Culture Type. Contributions do not influence or dictate editorial coverage or content.
“`
