1914 WWI French Infantry Attack Custom-House Vintage Art Postcard
About This Vintage Postcard
This evocative World War I illustration captures a dramatic assault by the Chasseurs Alpins, elite mountain infantry of the French Army, on a German custom-house in the Vosges Mountains. The scene depicts the troops, famously nicknamed "Les Diables Bleus" (The Blue Devils), engaging in close-quarters combat amidst a snowy alpine landscape. The artwork was originally published in the British illustrated newspaper The Sphere, known for its vivid war reporting. This postcard serves as a stirring piece of wartime propaganda, highlighting the grit of the French mountain units in reclaiming territory along the contested border during the early stages of the Great War.
Details
Era: Divided Back (circa 1914–1915)
City: High Vosges (Hautes Vosges)
State or Region: Grand Est
Country: France
Topic: World War I, French Chasseurs Alpins, Mountain Warfare, Military Illustration, Patriotic Art
Condition: Uncirculated
Postage: None
Address Side: divided back
Orientation: Vertical (Portrait)
Artist / Photographer: Unknown (Copyrighted by The Sphere)
Publisher: Levy Fils & Cie (L.V. & Cie), Paris
Printer: Levy Fils & Cie (Series AS 4)
Print Type: Chromolithograph
Additional Information
This postcard was published by the prolific Parisian firm Levy Fils & Cie as part of their "AS" artistic series documenting the Great War. The manufacturing date is narrowed to 1914–1915, reflecting the early-war focus on the "War in the Vosges" and the immediate licensing of journalistic illustrations from The Sphere for the French postcard market. The address side features a minimalist Art Nouveau-influenced divider and the elegant blue "CARTE POSTALE" typography characteristic of Levy's wartime production. The Chasseurs Alpins were a source of great national pride in France, and scenes like this custom-house attack symbolized the broader mission to liberate the lost provinces of Alsace and Lorraine from German control.
This postcard would look great framed or make an excellent addition to any collection.
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