“Greetings from Hudson County: Then and Now” comprises over 700 historic postcards from all 12 cities and towns of Hudson County. Most of the postcards date from the Golden Age of postcards, the 1900s – 1920s, showing parks, street scenes, scenic views, and important municipal buildings, churches, schools, and factories when they were brand new and the pride of Hudson County.
Bringing the exhibit into the present is HHM AR which uses augmented reality (AR) to enable visitors to compare current views to the historic images. Curated by Stevens professor Christopher Manzione, the app allows visitors to hold a smartphone in front of a postcard to see how the same street view looks today. Professor Manzione is a contemporary artist pushing the boundaries of technology and art. As the founder and director of the Virtual Public Art Project, he is a pioneer in using AR technology to produce original artists’ works in public spaces.
Each view old and new is narrated in the AR app in the voices of a diverse cast of Hudson County residents. We hope people will use the exhibition as a jumping-off point for exploring our County in depth, to learn more about what was here before and what is there now.