Kenneth Patchen Rare Picture-Poem Postcard (1968, Leslie Tobin Imports)

Description

Kenneth Patchen (1911–1972) was a pioneering American poet and visual artist whose work defied categorization. Blending poetry with painting, he created “picture poems” that combined handwritten verse with vibrant, abstract imagery. Patchen’s innovative approach positioned him as a forerunner to the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance, influencing contemporaries like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Charles Bukowski. His work often explored themes of love, pacifism, and social justice, delivered through a unique fusion of text and visual art that challenged traditional literary forms.

Leslie Tobin Imports, Inc. was a Philadelphia-based company known for distributing art prints and literary ephemera during the mid-20th century. Their collaboration with Patchen resulted in this series of picture-poem postcards. While not mass-produced, these postcards were available through select outlets and have become increasingly scarce over time. While exact numbers are elusive as to limitations or how many different images were printed, the Patchen archives at UC Santa Cruz  states only “a few hundred cards were printed before the company ceased operations”.​

A vivid fusion of the spoken word and visual art from a visionary of American literature, captured in this scarce 1968 postcard.