Item HT 31397 Postcard - German, to Herr Mueller, World War I, 1914-1918

Summary

Black and white postcard showing a studio portrait of a woman, written in German (Suetterlin) during World War I. The postcard is addressed to a Herr Mueller in Gross-Lichterfelde. The inscription roughly translates as follows:

'Much luck and care on this happy occasion! We were more than a little amazed. Hopefully mother and child are healthy. We must of course have the little one come see us in the holidays. Grandmama [would no doubt be?] happy [*tickled pink/pleased as punch] about the [news?].'

At the end of the 19th century the Prussian Main Military academy (Hauptkadettenanstalt) used to be based in Gross-Lichterfelde. Many German noble families, who often had connections to the Prussian Army, settled in this district. Today it is a borough of Berlin.

It was common to print portraits on postcards in the early 20th century. The cards did not always identify the studio where the photograph was taken; however, here initials appear in the right bottom corner: 'KVB'. Sending postcards was popular among both sexes and all ages at the beginning of the 20th century. Postcards were used to keep in touch with friends and family, and for courtship. It is not known how this particular postcard came to be in Australia.

During World War I around 11 billion letters or postcards were sent from the front free of charge through the German Army Postal Service. Millions more letters were sent to the front by families and friends at home. From 29 April 1916 onwards postal service stations were set up at every army command station in order to monitor the content of the mail and to create reports on the content. The transmission of classified military or rebellious and discouraging information was prohibited.

Physical Description

This black and white postcard captures a close up portrait of a woman. She is dressed with net lace around her shoulders and wears a pearl necklace and brooch in her hair. She is posed with her chin and cheek resting gently against her raised hand. On the back is handwritten text.The postcard shows some wear.

Significance

This black and white postcard is an invaluable record of photograph postcards of the early 20th century. With advancement in photography technology, these portraits were now easier to produce and often printed on postcards. They often depicted portraits of people from the middle and upper classes in Europe and America, who used them for correspondence with friends and family or courtship. Themes such as social life, the position of women, military life and communication are referenced by both the visual iconography and the inscriptions on the postcards.