Artist Statement:

I am drawn to that visual part of Philippine history that falls between the end of Spanish colonial rule and the American commonwealth period (1898 to 1936), just prior to World War II. I work with a personal collection of real photo postcards that are unique or rare and hard to find. They represent a class of ordinary Filipinos that are not the usual tribal or anthropological images that populated commercial or tourist postcards. These common folks dressed up in their best clothes, made of finely woven pineapple, lace or hemp fabric, and went to a photographer's studio to pose for portraits. These visual mementos were given to friends and loved ones and some have beautiful handwritten inscriptions on the back.