Souvenir from France

Silk embroidered postcard sent by a British soldier stationed in France to his sister in England. The postcard has a blind-embossed border framing a central panel of organdie, silk embroidered with pink and blue flowers and a blue and green floral garland and yellow silk thread lettering 'Souvenir from France'. The panel includes an opening flap, similar to that of an envelope within which is inserted a small card printed with a handcoloured sprig of mistletoe and the message 'to my dear sister'. On the reverse of the postcard is the handwritten message 'To my dear sister' from your loving Brother Will 11/3/118.'
The postcard includes the publishers name Visé, Paris.

During World War I, the sending of silk-embroidered postcards was a standard form of greeting from soldiers serving in the trenches to loved ones at home. The cards were produced in France by a number of publishers with the silk embroidery added by hand on a cottage-industry basis, the designs being worked over lightly printed guidelines. Their beauty of the cards masked the true horror of the conditions under which the soldiers were living and fighting.