The World War I Embroidered Silk Postcards

Embroidered by hand, silk thread on silk organza, these vivid cards whizzed across Europe to the loved and the missed during World War I. 

Stitched at home by French and Belgium women, they were created as a batch on one silk strip, then sent to a factory for cutting and framing.  

Look closely: many are actually envelopes. Inside them, another envelope; a translucent, onion-skin one. Inside that, a tiny printed card to write on, coloured by hand.

To the sender it's about wrapping your message again and again in something bright, pretty and precious. To the recipient it’s about glimpses of what's within; the handwriting you’re aching to see.

Propped on a mantelpiece or bedside table, most of these cards became sun-faded, yellowed with nicotine, torn and discarded.

Fortunately this collection was kept in an album so those silk dyes hold true. I find the past much more tangible when you see things as they did.

Forget-me-knots feature heavily, as do the words ‘love’, ‘kiss’ and ‘home’.

My favourite? This celebration of the end (below), shown in detail at the start of this post and in full here.

We were victorious. It is over. 

Update: A comment left by Bill on this post has alerted me to his extensive collection of these cards, view them at  http://www.silkpostcard.co.uk/

Invitation to comment: Are these cards a revelation to you, or does your Gran have some stashed in her attic? 

My Next Post: The 1960s Bundeswehr (West German) Army Great Coat

What is Vintage Copywriting? 

Gorgeous vintage finds, described with adoration and photographed up-close by English fashion copywriter Angela Montague. This blog fuses my day job as a fashion copywriter with my two obsessions: beautiful old things and photography.

Be first to see any new posts by following the blog on Facebook or Pinterest. 

You can also subscribe by email.

.