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First World War Colour Photographic Postcard of Swiss Troops

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Emil GOETZ

c. 1914

Overview

A coloured postcard showing a large group of soldiers dressed in belted grey longcoats and dark helmets attending an outside field service. The soldiers are standing in a field with their backs to the photographer facing what appears to be an altar. There is a man standing behind the altar on a raised platform with an archway over him. The center of the archway shows the Swiss flag. There are a group of musicians to the right of the altar facing the photographer and the other troops. To the left are 3 people not dressed in military uniform. There is a hill and several trees in the background together with a small building. The edges of the postcard show some wear and a small piece of the right top corner is missing.

Historical information

This postcard is an example of a souvenir from the First World War and is from the collection of William John BEER. During World War I, Switzerland maintained its neutrality and its army's primary role was border security, known as "border occupation" (Grenzbesetzung). While not involved in direct combat, the Swiss army mobilized a large number of troops (around 220,000) and reserves (over 200,000) to defend the country's borders. Of the other inscriptions on the postcard "culte militaire" in Switzerland, literally meaning "military cult," refers to the Swiss militia system. Feldgottesdienst means a field religious service conducted outdoors.
The photographer was Emil GOETZ(1869–1958), a native of the Bernese Oberland who trained as a photographer in Interlaken. In 1893, he moved to the city of Lucerne, where he took over a photography studio and expanded this business to include a postcard publishing company.
Goetz's photographs are characterized by exceptional sharpness, skillful composition and staging, and an obsession with detail. He is viewed as one of the most important photographers in central Switzerland in the first half of the 20th century. His photographic holdings are located in the state archives of Lucerne, Uri, and Nidwalden.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-12-2022.1.6

Item type

Postcards

Themes

War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Card

Width

140 mm

Height or length

90 mm

Weight

5 g

Inscriptions and markings

Front “Feldgottesdienst. Culte militaire. / Grenzbesetzung 1914 Occupation des frontieres / Feldgottesdienst. Culte militaire.” Reverse “E. Goetz, Kunstanstalt, Luzern. 6020”

Keywords

SWITZERLAND

First World War

Postcard

Place made

Luzern, Switzerland

Year

c. 1914

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Social or spiritual significance

Comparative significance criteria