Antique & Vintage Postcards

Step inside Karoun — the beloved Armenian and Middle Eastern restaurant at 839 Washington Street in Newtonville, Massachusetts — through this vivid chrome promotional postcard that captures the dining room in its full 1970s splendor: white-clothed tables set with ruby-red folded napkins, wicker peacock chairs with tufted red cushions, hanging plants spilling over lattice dividers, and warm brick walls hung with art, all lit by amber pendant lights evoking the warmth of a Levantine evening. Karoun, operated by the Eurdolian family, offered Armenian cuisine, fish specialties, wine, cocktails, and — on Wednesday through Saturday nights — Middle Eastern music and belly dancing, making it one of greater Boston's most distinctive dining destinations of the era. Published by Sommerfeld Photo Film of Auburn, Massachusetts, with photography credited to "Sir Winfried," this unused promotional card (no. 167555) is a delightful artifact of ethnic restaurant culture in 1970s New England.