This 90-page book is dedicated to the history, description and inventory of the first official civilian postcards ever used on French territory. These are the "Cartes de Correspondance" printed in French and distributed by the German post office during the 1870-1871 occupation. To be complete, the "Correspondenz-Karten" in German intended for civilian use are also analyzed as well as the "Feldpost-Correspondenzkarten" intended for postage-free use by the military but used also occasionally by civilians after franking.

All these postcards are rare and sought-after documents. A study of the postal instructions puts the history of these cards in the context of the Franco-Prussian war. A catalog provides the list and reproductions of all the cards known as of the date of publication.

Read more...
See all books 1870-1918...