WWI silk postcard with flags of the Allies

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c. 1915

Overview

Embroidered silk postcard in the form of an envelope with three sets of two flags draped like curtains.
The flap of the fabric envelope is bordered with white thread in a broad decorative lace formation. Below the flap are a pair of white flowers with pale yellow leaves - one on each side.
The two flags in the first drape represent Belgium and Imperial Russia. The second set are France and Italy, while the third set are the United Kingdom and Serbia. Each pair has a small floral motif featuring a pink central flower underneath.
There may have breen a small card inserted inside the flap when it was made and purchased, but this is not present.
The surrounds are made from embossed cream card with floral decoration.
The reverse of the postcard is plain aside from the printed black instructions and maker's details, all in French.

Historical information

According to the Australian War Memorial, woven silk postcards were first produced in Krefeld, Germany in 1898 as a combination of printed postcards and large woven silk pictures, known as Stevengraphs. The early cards were woven on machines. Being machine made, the woven cards always maintained a high standard.
Embroidered silk postcards were first made in 1900 for the Paris Exposition. The popularity of silk postcards peaked during World War One. A thriving cottage industry began around 1915 and the quality of the early silks was quite high. However later, to satisfy demand, the workmanship was often not quite as high.
Postcard companies began to employ women to produce silks on a rough assembly line basis. The cards were generally hand embroidered on strips of silk mesh with as many as 25 on a strip. They were mostly embroidered by French women in their homes and then sent to the factories for cutting and mounting on postcards.
Some postcards were made with little envelopes which could contain a smaller card with a sentimental message.
Production continued steadily through World War One, declining substantially in 1919, until ending around 1923. An estimated 10,000,000 hand made cards were produced from 1915 to 1919.

There are a large number of silk postcards in the collection, including several groupings relating to individual soldiers and their families.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW00655

Item type

Themes