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WW I Patriotic & Propaganda Postcards


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I see the Bishop Hill folks have posted a few photos of my layout on their website. Not the closest shots of the food, but you can get a general idea of the presentation. They have mixed in other displays along with mine, so be advised. If you care to have a look, go to:

 

https://bishophillheritage.org/2018-bishop-hill-chautauqua-8-25-2018

 

MHJ

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world war I nerd

McCooper, that Italian / American postcard is a great, great find. Thank you for posting it.

 

Littlewilley, a big thanks to you too for providing a link leading to a few snapshots of your incredible trench cuisine display!

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Now for a few more postcards ...

 

A postcard tribute to the American volunteers who drove ambulances and trucks for the Allied Army's before America entered the fray in 1917.

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A nicely done farewell / arrival overseas postcard.

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Monthly payday - Army style

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And a payday nautical, err … I mean, Navy style.

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"Our Jackies" / U.S. Navy card.

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I believe this Navy postcard is pre-WW I.

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A postcard reference to the fact that recruits in the Army had to undertake a number of domestic chores that were probably always done by their mothers, wives and sweethearts.

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I'm guessing that the sewer digging caption on this postcard was frowned upon by the military, because it made soldiering for Uncle Sam seem undignified.

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Because of that, I speculate that the digging caption was changed to represent the more manly pursuit of digging trenches.

 

Either way - trenches or sewers, this soldier doesn't look very pleased about the task he is performing.

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The design depicted on this "duty" themed postcard, is self explanatory.

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A postcard reminding those who went overseas to write to the folks they left behind.

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Thus cleverly worded caption suggests that posting letters to the men overseas on a regular basis, is equally as important as military communication at the front.

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Last one for now ...

 

Another French made card stressing the durability of the Great War's Franco-American alliance.

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A series of Italian patriotic postcards, painted by the artist Philippe Bourrilon, all of which featured women wearing scarves bearing the colors of the Allied nations, were printed in the summer of 1918. This example is, of course, the card representing America.

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Quite a few patriotic postcards printed during the war, like this example, featured a few lines of rhyming prose.

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French made postcard featuring the flags of the Allied nations.

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Knoxville, Tennessee Red Cross canteen postcard ...

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A number of the postcards in this post were created by Bernhardt Wall, an artist who designed hundreds, if not thousands, of postcards during the first few decades of the 20th century.

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Another Bernhardt Wall creation

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This card depicts a rather naïve look at combat on the Western Front.

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One of many YMCA printed patriotic postcards

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Another YMCA card with a corny take on WW I military jargon, i.e. "Spring Drive"

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A third example of AEF/Army of Occupation postcard, printed in Germany "by special permission of American military authorities".

 

The first two were an enlisted man wearing an overcoat and a military policeman. I wonder how many more were in this series?

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A 1919 postmarked, Uncle Sam - Navy themed postcard

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A tribute to the Army bugler, especially when he sounds "mess call" by Bernhardt Wall

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Pretty much the same thing, only this time in Navy blue

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This card, geared towards the home front, encourages folks at home to give the boys 'Over There' what they need

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Christmas greeting, the sale of which, raised funds for the fatherless children of France.

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A rather stunning depiction of "Lady Liberty" by the French artist Cheri Herouard

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Another child soldier card, extolling the virtues of presenting a swell front

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One of the few British made postcards that I've come across with an American/Yank theme

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A nice soldier on guard card painted by Bernhart Wall.

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Last one for today … A French made postcard by the artist Cheri Herouard, featuring a "Sammi" sweeping a French maiden off her feet

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world war I nerd

Time for another installment of WW I era patriotic & propaganda postcards ...

 

A soldier, sailor and Uncle Sam card, postmarked 1917

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A tribute to America's WW I industrial might

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Another in the YMCA postcard series - this one featuring a Red Cross first aid dog

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Yet another YMCA postcard depicting the activities of the Red Cross on the battlefield

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A soldier in service flag themed postcard

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"Pals" … a British Tommy (err, Scottish Highlander), an American Yank and a French Piolu as depicted by the artist Archie Gunn

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Another French postcard in the series titled: "The Sammies in Paris" by an artist using the nom de guerre of Jean Tam or Jean Jam. See post number 37 for the first "Sammies in Paris" example.

 

I find this card rather interesting as it depicts the arrival in Paris of two infant Sammies, which was the nickname first bestowed on the American soldiers, by the French, upon their arrival in France.

 

I'm guessing that the Sammies are depicted as babies because the extent of their knowledge in regard to trench warfare, was like that of an infants when compared to that of the French Army. The woman likely represents the nation of France (or its military), who will look after the newborn babies until they are able to fend for themselves in the trenches of the Western Front.

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Another card admonishing or reminding America's new soldiers to write home

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Another reminder of the perils of crossing the Atlantic Ocean's rough seas

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An American Red Cross postcard bearing a painting of the 1st Division's band during its July 4th, 1917 parade in France by J.F. Bouchor, the official artist to the French Army

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A German made postcard showing men of the 3rd Army on the Rhine River in 1919.

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Belgian postcard, likely printed after the Armistice, congratulating the Allied Armies

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This French postcard, probably also printed after the Armistice, echoes the sentiment of the above Belgian postcard

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One of a series of French postcards titled: "Attractions Parisieanes" by the artist Xavier Sanger, most of which feature American servicemen, from one branch or another, interacting with the fair mademoiselles' of France.

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Another series of French postcards, also by the artist Xavier Sanger, titled: "Le Drapeau: Allies" features the flags of the Allied nations, on to which soldiers from that nation's army were superimposed.

 

All of the cards in this series I've seen so far (America, France, Belgium & Italy), show a realistic representation of the various nations uniforms and equipment, except that of the American Army, as shown here, which is a complete fantasy. Still it's a neat postcard though.

 

There must have been a rush to finish the artwork and get the cards printed, leaving little or no time to adequately research what was actually worn by America's service men.

 

Anyway, last card for today … if these are getting boring or repetitive, please let me know and I'll stop adding to this thread.

 

Regardless, thanks for continuing to look.

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Looking at the last post, its a reminder that Paris in 1917 had a very well developed decades old industry around fashion illustration for magazines, catalogs and posters. This is a reflection of that.

 

You might find the book "Paris at the End of the World: The City of Light During the Great War, 1914 to 1918". It describes the culture that continued during the war years, including fashion. Given that it was Paris, some of it was a bit odd and over the top.

 

For example, if I recall correctly the book mentions how the women and some men adopted "military fashions"... clothing that took design elements from military uniforms. It got so bad that many people could not distinguish some of the wearers of these fashion items from actual military personnel. You have to remember that within the city you had soldiers from every Allied Nation roaming about.

 

Keep posting. These are quite the window into the popular culture of the time. I don't know if you noticed, but this thread has at present 1,667 views... so there seems to be some interest in the subject among our members.

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Gil, regarding Paris & fashion, etc. that's a very astute observation. The artist of that postcard (and so many other postcards), Xavier Sanger, an Austrian who'd emigrated to Paris in the late 1800's, specialized in fashion & female illustrations. During the war he designed numerous patriotic postcards, most of which featured soldiers of France or of the Allied nations, as well as fashionable women in (and out) of their clothing.

 

Anyway, here are a few more WW I era U.S.A. themed postcards …

 

1916 dated YMCA Hut DIY postcard

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1909 postmarked Navy card inscribed "love & Duty"

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Undated Navy card depicting a sailor with four women titled: "Four Bells and All Swell"

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Staying with the Navy theme, here's another Xavier Sanger French postcard from a series titled "Proverbes Americains". It reads: "Excess in all is a fault."

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Another uber patriotic soldier, flag & sentiment card

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A 1918 postmarked generic training camp card extolling the camps lack of "up to the minute" personal hygiene amenities.

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1918 postmarked Allied flags and training camp themed postcard

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This Camp Wadsworth card is one of the more unusual named training camp postcards I've seen. Most of them feature a poorly colorized photograph of soldiers doing any one of a number of the activities that were common as a new recruit.

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Uncle Sam putting the squeeze on what was a common metaphor for Imperial Germany. Card designed by Bernhardt Wall.

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U.S., French and British flags superimposed with an image of Phileppe Petain, the leader of the French Army during the Great War.

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Kind of an unusual daydreaming soldier card with the topic of his dream appearing in a swirl of cigarette smoke.

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Another Bernhartd Wall postcard admonishing the folks back home for not writing enough.

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A son in service flag wishing luck to its recipient.

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Another one from the comic YMCA series, showing one of the benefits of being hospitalized.

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Last card for this round … more to come though.

 

Xavier Sanger again. From the French series titled "Amitie Franco-Americaine", titled "United Hearts".

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Card number one of this installment of WW I patriotic postcards was drawn by the same artist (C.A. David) who drew the card depicted in post No. 89. This card represents Camp Greene, which was situated near Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Another card designed by Bernhartd Wall.

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Another card echoing the sentimental theme of missing the friends and family left at home.

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As above for this card designed by an artist named Archie Gunn.

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This one is part of a series of cards devoted the Red Cross, each of which features the child Red Cross volunteer.

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A comicall card explaining just one of the many perils when on guard duty.

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This post card, "Down Him Sammy", printed in France is one of my favorites. The artwork is well done and the composition aptly depicts how the French and British nations expected the arrival of the "Sammies" to provide the knockout punch the Allied armies so desperately needed in the summer of 1917.

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This card printed in Italy in 1919, heralding the commencement of the Paris Peace Talks that wouldn't end until 1922 features a caricature of General Pershing.

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The marching troops, song lyrics, and image of Uncle Sam on this homegrown card just oozes patriotism.

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A 1919 Victory card welcoming back the troops.

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What good is a patriotic postcard if it doesn't tell you what you're fighting for - like this YMCA card depicting Mom and the American flag. The only thing that's missing is the apple pie.

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A pre-WW I Navy postcard, postmarked 1909, sends an unknown signal-flag message to the recipient of the card.

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I picked up four more Army of Occupation "soldier" cards printed in Germany in 1919. This one of a 3rd Army MP wearing a General Headquarter shoulder patch is a duplicate of the one that was posted by atb back on post No.100.

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With the exception of the campaign hat rather than an overseas cap, this MP card pretty much mirrors that of the MP in the above post.

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This one features an infantryman from the 89th Division on occupation duty.

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Another 89th Division soldier, this one an artilleryman, wears the shortened 1917 Overcoat.

 

This card brings the total cards in this series up to six (solder in long overcoat … officer … MP in overseas cap ... MP in campaign hat … 89th Div. infantry & 89th Div. artillery). I wonder if there are any more?

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I also stumbled across a few WW I era USMC postcards. The three I'm going to post are all unused, but I've seen two of the three with 1917 postmarks.

 

I have two more that I haven't posted yet and there were two others on which I was outbid on eBay … maybe I'll post the sellers scans in the not too distant future.

 

Anyway, U. S. Marines on some tropical beach.

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U.S. Marines on another tropical beach … This is a repeat because I posted the seller's scan of an identical card that I failed to win back on post No.122.

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U.S. Marines on yet another tropical beach, except this time they are signaling an offshore ship ...

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Last card for this round.

 

It's card No. 3 in a series of French postcards, printed in 1917, titled "Sammies in Paris" I've posted two others in this series painted by an artist named Jean Tam (or Jean Jam) in posts No.37 and No. 186. Those two were numbered "2" and "4" respectively. I also have card No. 1 in the series, which I will post soon.

 

I've seen two other in this series online that I'm trying to track down, so there's at least six different postcards in this series depicting the Americans or "Sammies" as infant cowboys - cowboys being pretty much what the French population thought all Americans were like thanks to the silent Hollywood western films that were popular in the cinemas of France.

 

Anyway, I find this series of cards very attractive.

 

I'll post more postcards soon ...

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Salvage Sailor

A pre-WW I Navy postcard, postmarked 1909, sends an unknown signal-flag message to the recipient of the card.

 

The semaphore signal spells out 'S W E E T H E A R T'

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Here is the first of the two WW I era USMC postcards that got away from me. (eBay seller's scans)

 

 

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The second of the two USMC cards that got away from me (eBay seller's scans). I was sorry to lose this one, because I really like the graphics.

 

Note that all of the USMC postcards posted were printed by the same company … Stockinger Photo Engr. & Pfg. Co. in New York

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A rather enthusiastic text and perhaps a bit naive given the circumstances of World War I.

 

I might be wrong, but did the US ever deploy horse mounted Cavalry in battle during the Great War? I don't recall this happening.

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...

I might be wrong, but did the US ever deploy horse mounted Cavalry in battle during the Great War? I don't recall this happening.

 

2d Cavalry:

 

Aisne-Marne Offensive:

- Troops A/C/I.

 

St Mihiel Offensive:

- 1st squadron, troops F/G/H.

 

Meuse-Argonne Offensive:

- 1st squadron, troops F/H/I/M.

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This WW I French made card, designed by Xavier Sanger, is one of six in a series titled "Mode Americaine". Each card depicts the artist's impression of a stylish, and very obvious American themed French fashion statement. I've managed to track down four of the remaining five postcards and will post them as soon as I have them in hand.

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Remaining with the "Stars & Stripes" theme, here is a 1917 postmarked card depicting a sword and an American flag.

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1918 postmarked card bearing the American flag times four.

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YMCA printed card displaying "Old Glory, as well as the flags and national flowers of America's Allies during the Great War.

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Another American and Allied flag themed card.

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A "With the Colors" YMCA card with a rather romanticized illustration of tank and infantry combat.

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A naval themed postcard proclaiming just how important tobacco was to the average sailor.

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As above, except this card was about the average soldier's need for tobacco products.

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A post Armistice postcard printed in Germany for the 90th Division.

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Army, Navy and Reserve postcard designed by the artist Archie Gunn.

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A comical interpretation of what happens whenever a pretty woman visits a training camp.

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The mention of a pretty woman brings us back to the postcard art of Xavier Sanger. The next five French made cards are part of a six card series titled: "Attractions Parisennes."

 

Perhaps this is why so many American Doughboys went AWOL to visit the fabled "City of Light".

 

On that note, I just read a humorous conversation, the topic of which was Paris, between two officers in a WW I unit history. In it ... Officer 'X' said, "I'm planning on taking a female friend to Paris." Officer 'Y' replied, "Why would you do that? That's like bringing food to a banquet."

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The second of the five Sanger "Attractions Parisennes" postcards

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The third of the five "Attractions Parisennes" postcards

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The fourth of the five "Attractions Parisennes" postcards

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The fifth of the five "Attraction Pariseenes" postcards. The sixth card in this series (for some reason there always seems to be six cards in most of the French series of cards) was posted earlier in this topic.

 

Stay tuned, more postcards to come in the not too distant future ...

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Okay … For anyone who's interested here's another batch of WW I era postcards, patriotic and otherwise.

 

Up first is Uncle Sam getting tough with "Kaiser Bill".

 

This is the fifth card in this red, black & white series that I'm aware of. So far, including this one, I've posted four of them. That means there's one on deck to be posted at a later date.

 

I've no idea how many different cards are actually in this series though ...

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A 1918 postmarked comic postcard about the "draft".

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A Italian "victory" postcard featuring a bunch of grinning Allied soldiers.

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A woman paired up with a soldier was a common theme for the postcard designer Archie Gunn. This example features a wounded Doughboy and a Red Cross nurse.

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A postcard overflowing with patriotism in the form of our nation's flag and charging troops!

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A child-soldier card postmarked 1918.

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