Postcards from WWI

December 26, 2006 7:53 AM

451 Postcards from World War I. Personal notes, propaganda, battle memorials, etc.
posted by jonson (12 comments total)

Absolutely amazing. Artwork and photos from this period are stunning - I especially liked the one of the man giving a skeleton a bouquet.
posted by wandering steve at 8:38 AM on December 26, 2006

It's always 420 somewhere!

Seriously, though, isn't this from the wrong war? I mean, Japan is listed as an ally in the next image.

Good stuff, jonson! I love early 20th century graphic design, especially when used for propaganda.
posted by kimota at 8:43 AM on December 26, 2006

Good catch, kimota - that skinned Japanese hide HAS to be from WWII. Dumb that the organizers of this catalog wouldn't catch that.
posted by jonson at 8:54 AM on December 26, 2006

You could have professional post cards of near and dear made for whatever purpose at the time, much like the carte de visite of the American civil war. I have a few of now dead relatives. Should have liked to have seen some here.

A little light on the German side, and as above, the Patton grave is kind of a stretch, veteran though he was.

Which sounds more critical than I intended. I've been fascinated by that particular tragedy since boyhood, way before the current vogue, and welcome any further exposition.
posted by IndigoJones at 8:56 AM on December 26, 2006

cartes de visite. (What happens between preview and post that makes us miss these things?)

Pointed side track
posted by IndigoJones at 8:59 AM on December 26, 2006

Thanks.... shared it with my wife, the history teacher.
posted by Doohickie at 9:33 AM on December 26, 2006

I kind of wish I could read the "handwritten messages."
Still really cool.
posted by mckenney at 10:03 AM on December 26, 2006

I liked the photograph of the cannon firing at night so much that I had to retouch it.
posted by Termite at 2:09 PM on December 26, 2006

Very nice. I have a very small collection of WWI postcards which are something of a prized possession.

Anyone else having trouble with the UI? I search on "paris" and get the first 10 hits, but attempts to see subsequent pages result in a browse of the entire collection. I have to hack the URL to page back and forth.
posted by bevedog at 6:36 PM on December 26, 2006

This is pretty awesome, though I'm glad I've never received a postcard like this. Nothing says "I love you" quite like a bombed out trench.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:16 PM on December 26, 2006

Great post, but I too am disappointed by the sloppiness of the people who put the exhibit together. The second image on the front page is labeled "nationality: Germany" when anyone who knows anything about the period should immediately recognize "K. U. K." as short for kaiserlich und königlich 'Imperial and Royal,' i.e., pertaining to the Hapsburg Empire (Franz Josef was Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary)—you can read about the Austrian stormtroopers here.
posted by languagehat at 7:10 AM on December 27, 2006

Thanks, this is pretty cool.
posted by OmieWise at 8:13 AM on December 27, 2006