First World War: the importance of postcards

Quantity that speak for themselves 

According to the site centenaire.org, '4 to 5 billion postcards were produced and sent to France during the conflict'. To this must be added tens of billions of cards from and circulating in all the countries involved. From July 1914 to December 1914, there are one and a half million postcards delivered per day. On its own, the contemporary international documentation library (BDIC) in Nanterre houses nearly 65,000.

The postcard, a popular means of communication 

During the First World War, postcards first fulfill their primary role: correspondence. As the war progressed, the number of postcards sent increased steadily: in addition to receiving news and evidence of life, families learned about life at the front and of the daily life of the soldiers. The cards were also provided free of charge to soldiers and families thanks to the military franchise, which made it possible to keep a link between the front and the back.  

The postcard, a way to convey ideas 

The postcards of the First World War are also propaganda tools. This is the case of satirical cards: drawn, they represent caricatures, sometimes very violent, of the enemy. At the beginning of the war, these cards reflect the euphoria and optimism that the war will not last. The illustrations do not hesitate to make fun of the enemy. 
 
One also finds the cards of 'fancy-patriotic'. These are usually photographs taken in the studio and featuring men, women or children. Hope is ubiquitous in these maps which are, according to the site centenaire.org, very sweetened. Some examples of evocative messages: 'He goes up, he shows the barometer of victory! 'The Angel of Victory', 'May my dad come back soon victor, I wish him with all my little heart,' etc. 

The postcard, a way to see some of the war  

The illustrations on postcards appeared around 1900. In addition to allowing correspondence and conveying patriotic images, the postcard is also a means of documenting war and conflict. The charts depict soldiers at rest, ruins, infantry encampments, relieved troops, and so on. Combat scenes become very rare as early as 1915. 
 
Once the conflict is over, the postcards become testimonies and memories, written or visual of the First World War, even though the writings rarely went in the direction of the illustrations!