World War I

Topical Reference Page
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Postcard showing machine gun practice, postmarked: Lawton, OK. Ft. Sill Branch, Dec. 3, 1917, 6 pm.

With millions of people deployed to the front, the number of letters, postcards, packages, and news exchanged rose substantially during World War I, 1914-1918. Social welfare organizations created opportunities, campaigns, and materials to encourage letter writing to sustain morale at home and at the front. Governments developed methods to control communication through censorship regulations and adapted logistical networks to move great quantities of mail.

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Photo of Ethel Ash with an unknown sailor, France, c. 1919.
YMCA Work During the Great War
03.23.2018

Morale is one of the main factors that can help or cripple an army. Thus when the US joined World War I, the YMCA set out to work alongside the US Army to keep up morale - feeding soldiers, providing comfortable spaces for them, and otherwise keeping them entertained.

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American Red Cross postcard depicts Christmas packages for the AEF in 1918.
Holiday Parcels in World War I
12.20.2017

One of the most frequent questions I get asked as a curator is about care packages, namely, what did family and friends send to each other during one time period or another? The curiosity is understandable—who among us doesn’t want to peek inside the mail?

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Presentation of letters to audience
My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I
04.06.2017

My Fellow Soldiers uses original letters to examine WWI through a deeply personal lens. In this way, we can reflect upon the enormous impact the war had on the individual.

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A campaign button: War in Europe, Peace in America. God Bless Wilson
The Zimmermann Telegram and the Power of the Printed Word
03.01.2017

2017 marks the centennial of America’s engagement in World War I, also referred to as the Great War. The National Postal Museum will present a special exhibition to commemorate and reflect upon this anniversary. My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I features personal correspondence to and from the front lines, thereby illuminating accounts of love, life and death in the tumultuous time of war.

Learn more About The Zimmermann Telegram and the Power of the Printed Word

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Object Group

5m Symbol of Allied supervision of the Plebiscite stamp

World War I Stamps

The "Great War" forever changed the map of the world. Military occupations, postwar mandates, and plebiscites created numerous new governments. From the disintegration of the Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires emerged newly-independent nations, while nationalist and irredentist movements took advantage of the chaos to claim sovereign territory.

Whatever their origins, and no matter how long- or short-lived these new governments were destined to be, they all announced their arrival by issuing postage stamps. Enjoy this selection of stamps related to World War I and its aftermath.

Learn more about World War I Stamps

Related Content

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World War I and Postal Traffic in British Colonies

Paper written by Richard Maisel for the 2008 Winton M. Blount Symposium.

Image: Title page of Empire Abstracts, Number 48

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Postal and Treasury Savings Stamp Systems: The War Years

Paper written by Harry K. Charles for the 2008 Winton M. Blount Symposium.

Image: War Savings Certificate stamps

Learn more about Postal and Treasury Savings Stamp Systems: The War Years
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Food Will Win the War

“Food Will Win the War”: Motor Trucks and the Farm-to-Table Postal Delivery Program, 1917-1918
Paper written by Robert G. Cullen for the 2008 Winton M. Blount Symposium.

Image: Egg crate, c. 1920

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