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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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    Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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    The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

    street map of Postal museum

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  • American Red Cross postcard
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American Red Cross postcard

Object Details

Description
This postcard is part of a wider trend of sending picture postcards during World War I. The image on the front shows soldiers eating and reading mail at a Red Cross Canteen in France. The short message is a sweet note from an absentee serviceman to his baby daughter in New York wishing her lots of love.
This postcard was issued by the American Red Cross. Alongside other non-profit organizations such as the Jewish Welfare Board, the YMCA, the Knights of Columbus and the Salvation Army, the Red Cross issued stationery free of charge to servicemen stationed abroad to promote correspondence between servicemen and their loved ones. The military supported this initiative as it was widely believed to increase morale. Like other military mail, messages written on this charitable stationery could be mailed free of charge and were subject to censorship.
References
Sanford, Hennen M. The Mail of the A.E.F. American Expeditionary Forces. The American Philatelic Society, Maryland, 1940.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
1919
Object number
0.214896.96
Type
Covers & Associated Letters
Medium
paper; ink ( ) /
Dimensions
Height x Width: 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (8.9 x 14 cm)
Place of Origin
FRANCE (republic)
Place of Destination
New York
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Topic
Covers & Letters
Record ID
npm_0.214896.96
Usage
Not determined
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm81d1e5f11-2cb2-44f2-adb9-3895302357d7

Related Object Groups

  • World War I Collections Sampler
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Plan a Visit

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
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Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

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