Accidentally Wes Anderson founder Wally Koval backs me up on that observation. “It’s pastels and symmetry, but it’s also this undefinable thing that you kind of know when you see it,” Koval says with a laugh.
Wes Anderson’s aesthetic is like that line about pornography. You know it when you see it.
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” among them, Anderson’s films are famously distinct for their color palettes, fonts, symmetry, and nostalgia — including outdated technology.
Five years ago, Koval began noticing Instagram shots that struck him as “accidentally Wes Anderson” or “AWA,” for short. He asked the Instagrammers who’d posted them for permission, and with his wife, Amanda, curated @accidentlywesanderson — now a popular account with some 1.6 million followers.
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Then the Wilmington, Del., natives went a step further: They created a niche travel website dedicated to the vibe. Among the 24 online travel guides on accidentallywesanderson.com, two are for New England: Coastal Maine and Providence.
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In 2020, Koval released a coffee-table photo-book — with a foreword by the director himself — that hit the New York Times Bestsellers list.
“Accidentally Wes Anderson Postcards” is Wally Koval’s newest release. Handout
Koval’s newest project is a postcard book, out Oct. 10. “Accidentally Wes Anderson Postcards” features 26 actual detachable postcards.
To celebrate its release, the Kovals are embarking on a road trip starting at the oldest post office in the United States in Hinsdale, N.H., on Oct. 10, and ending at the tiniest in Ochoppe, Fla., to chronicle for their Instagram, website, and newsletter.
With help from AWA ambassador Matthew Dickey of the Boston Preservation Alliance, the three will create a “Postal Coastal Road Trip” adventure guide: winding down through Boston, Philadelphia, New York, among other cities. Along the way, they’ll send postcards, dropping books and “other goodies” at indie bookstores, Little Free Libraries, and historic postal locations.
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When I called him, Koval was in a coffeeshop in Savannah, Ga.
A photograph in “Accidentally Wes Anderson Postcards,” from Instagram user @wherehayleygoes @wherehayleygoes
Q. So what sparked the whole AWA concept?
A. In 2017, I started seeing [photos online] that looked like they could’ve been plucked from a Wes Anderson film. I wouldn’t call myself a fanboy, but I’m a fan of his work and lover of the aesthetic. Details caught my eye — I wanted to go to these places, but could never find any information.
So I started doing some reverse-image searching and found: “Oh, this is in Goa, India, and it’s a really cool old palace, with an interesting story.” I started posting [the stories, and photos with credits] on Instagram, and a community started to form.
Q. Do you take any photos, or are they sourced?
A. About 85 percent sourced. Basically it’s me finding photos, sourcing, and crediting. We also get thousands of submissions through our website every month.
Q. How did the travel website start?
A. People were DMing us, for example: “Hey, we’re going to Boston. Are there any AWA locations in Boston?” So we made website with adventure guides for certain locations.
Q. Wes Anderson wrote the foreword to your first book.
A. That was crazy. Because, I mean, I made this up. I never thought it would be anything. When it started to get big, I was like, “Oh, man, Wes Anderson is gonna be like: Cease and desist.”
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Q. [laughs] Right.
A. But I thought, these photos are immaculate. They don’t deserve to be on this tiny screen. I’m also a fan of tactile traditional media. So I reached out to [a friend in publishing]. I sent Anderson a letter. And instead of responding: “My lawyers will be in touch,” he said, “Go for it.”
An image in “Accidentally Wes Anderson Postcards” by Instagram user @kevinfohrerphotography @kevinfohrerphotography
Q. Explain to me how this trip is working. It’s not a book tour, but a road trip that you’ll use for your Instagram and website.
A. Right. One friend we’ve made through AWA is Matthew Dickey, part of the Boston Preservation Alliance. Matthew is an AWA ambassador. He’s incredibly knowledgeable in the area of architecture and preservation; he’s shared that knowledge with us over the years.
As this adventure is starting in his neck of the woods, we asked if he’d help us curate this road trip, and participate by driving himself, [in a separate car] and chronicling his trip.
Q. You’ve got two New England guides on your site. What are some Providence highlights?
A. I had no idea how much history was there. The Athenaeum is one of the most amazing libraries I’ve ever seen. RISD Nature Lab: so freaking cool. We spent six days in Providence, and came up with more content than we could ever [share]. .
Q. You went to another post office in Maine, too, on Squirrel Island.
A. Oh. My. Gosh, Squirrel Island. That was a really special place. No cars. That little ferry. Such an awesome spot.
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Q. And Bob’s Clam Hut, which is a Kittery institution.
A. I needed a shirt, but they didn’t have my size [laughs]
Q. Why a postcard book?
A. When the first book released, [for an event] we printed a few thousand postcards. We told people: “We’ll pay for the postage. Send a smile to someone anywhere in the world.” Little did we know how much we were going to spend on postage [laughs]. But we saw how excited people were about postcards. When our publisher asked: “Is there anything interesting to you guys?” We were like: postcards.
Q. It’s also very Wes Anderson to send a postcard.
A. Exactly.
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. She tweets @laurendaley1.
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Follow her on Twiiter @laurendaley1.
Accidentally Wes Anderson has some postcards for you
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