1916 WWI Imperial German Military Feldpost Postcard Soldiers Homecoming

Original World War I Imperial German military postcard, mailed in 1916, featuring a superb color illustration by noted military artist B. Wennerberg.

This is No. 7, “Ausmarsch” (Marching Out / Departure) from Wennerberg’s wartime postcard series:

“Kriegspostkarten von B. Wennerberg”
“War Postcards by B. Wennerberg”

The colorful scene depicts a column of Imperial German soldiers marching through a town, carrying rifles with fixed bayonets while civilians crowd around to see them off. Women offer refreshments to the passing troops, a young girl carries flowers, and a small boy marches excitedly alongside the soldiers. Several troops wear the distinctive Pickelhaube/spiked helmet, while others appear in field headgear.

The scene is a wonderful representation of the civilian and military home-front imagery commonly used during the First World War and captures the public send-off of German troops departing for service.

Artist & Publisher

The card is identified as:

Kriegspostkarten von B. Wennerberg
Nr. 7 – Ausmarsch

Published by:

Verlag von Albert Langen, München
Printed by Hesse & Becker, Leipzig

Brynolf Wennerberg was a Swedish-born illustrator and painter who worked extensively in Germany and became particularly well known for his elegant commercial, magazine and wartime illustrations. His WWI military postcard series is highly collectible today for its detailed depictions of German soldiers and civilian life.

Postal History

The reverse is handwritten and postally used, with a clear 1916 German postal cancellation. It is addressed to:

Fräulein Johanna Sassenscheidt
Dortmund, Westfalen
Brüderweg 65

The reverse also bears a large green circular Brief-Stempel official/unit-style marking, adding considerably to the card’s military postal character.

Handwritten Message

The handwritten German message is written in old cursive and begins with a friendly/personal greeting. Portions are difficult to read confidently because of the flowing handwriting and overlapping placement around the printed text and postal marking. Rather than invent uncertain words, I would consider the message only partially translatable from the photographs. It is clearly personal correspondence with greetings to the recipient.

Condition:
Original period-used postcard with normal age-related wear, toning, corner/edge wear, minor creasing and handling marks. The illustrated front remains colorful and highly attractive. Writing, postal cancellation and green circular stamp remain visible. Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition.

An excellent and very displayable piece for collectors of WWI German military art, Imperial German Army, Pickelhaube soldiers, B. Wennerberg postcards, German Feldpost and First World War home-front history.

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Items are sold as shown and as-is. Please review all photographs carefully. We combine shipping on multiple purchases and ship every day, including Saturdays.

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