POSTCARDS TO HISTORY 39

the state of the past and historical treasures respectively. They also position
this era, which coincides with British colonial rule, as "the good old days,"
even though Malone and Roberts concede that some people may differ with
their point of view.
 Another trait of early postcards resurrected as historical fact in some of
these accounts is the idea that the islands remained unchanged, that time,
in essence, stood still during the colonial period. The authors of Nostalgic
Nassau pick up on the "representational sameness" inherent in the postcard
image world, but interpret this as indicative of Nassau's unchanging character
during the colonial era. They claim, "[t]he Bahamas has altered more in the
last thirty years [the Bahamas gained independence in 1973] than in the
previous one hundred and thirty. Most of the early Victorian domestic
architecture has disappeared, due to public apathy and the greedy demands
of property developers with little appreciation of history" (1). They suggest
that in the colonial era the island remained unchanged, but that in the post-
Independence period "Old Nassau" had disappeared due to people who lack
an appreciation of history. The authors base their historical claims on old
postcard representations, which precisely imaged the islands as places
outside of history, time, and modernity.
 While postcards historically left a space open for competing
interpretations, these publications present the materials in a more closed
form, siphoning off possibilities for alternate interpretations. Even though
at least one author did acknowledge the viability of differing interpretations,
the glossy picture books share several organizational and design features,
which construct the interpretative frame for these representations. Although
all books, of course, structure their narratives, the re-presentation of the
multi-sided and multiply-narrated postcards in the contemporary picture
books would explicitly shape how the postcards could be read by their newest
recipients- contemporary local viewers.
 First, the writers seldom contextualize or describe the historical
circumstances under which many of the representations they proffer were
created; they do not allude to the touristic impetus behind many of these
photographic creations. The books do not address the issue of the original
(intended) consumers towards whom these images were directed. Without
describing the touristic impetus of these postcards, these books can re-
circulate the images in a contextual vacuum, or in a new context, as objective
images of the region.
 Second, few of the publications identify the particular creators or
publishers of the postcards. Even when the authors mention the names of
photographers in their introductory remarks, they seldom attribute
particular representations to specific image-makers. As a result of this
authorial erasure, multiple images from numerous creators and publishers
are recomposed into an anonymous visual pastiche. The paucity of research
into photography in the Anglophone Caribbean in general may account for