1915 Letter from the Front WWI Family Scene by José Simont Vintage Art Postcard
About This Vintage Postcard
This poignant monochrome postcard captures the emotional weight of wartime life in a domestic setting. Titled La lettre du front. Ceux qui la lisent (The Letter from the Front. Those who read the news), the scene depicts a multi-generational family gathered around a humble dinner table. An elderly man in a flat cap sits with a somber expression as two young women and a child lean in to read a letter, likely from a loved one serving in the military. The interior is rich with period details, including a grand chandelier and an ornate wooden sideboard. This illustration by the artist José Simont for the famous French magazine L'Illustration serves as a moving tribute to the anxiety and hope experienced by those on the home front during the Great War, highlighting the communal ritual of sharing news from the battlefield.
Details
Era: Divided Back (1915)
City: Paris
State or Region: Île-de-France
Country: France
Topic: World War I Home Front, Family Portraits, Wartime Letters, José Simont Art, French Social History, Patriotic Editions
Condition: Uncirculated
Postage: None (Stamp box features Union Syndicate logo)
Address Side: divided back
Orientation: Vertical (Portrait)
Artist / Photographer: José Simont (1875–1968)
Publisher: I. M. L. (Imprimerie de L'Illustration), Paris (No. 2118)
Printer: Imp. Lapina, Paris
Print Type: Halftone lithograph
Additional Information
This postcard is definitively dated to the early years of the Great War, specifically 1915, as indicated by the Guerre Européenne de 1914-1915. Édition Patriotique. imprint on the reverse. It was printed by the renowned firm Imp. Lapina, located at 75 Rue Denfert-Rochereau in Paris, for the magazine L'Illustration. The artist, José Simont, was a master of capturing the atmospheric tension of French life during the conflict. The card features a VIVE badge in the corner with crossed flags, a common motif in patriotic French ephemera of the era. The presence of the Union Syndicate des Éditeurs de Cartes Postales de France logo in the stamp box confirms it was part of an official industry effort to document the war. This photogravure print beautifully preserves the dramatic lighting and fine textures of the original work, emphasizing the quiet, shared hope of the family.
This postcard would look great framed or make an excellent addition to any collection.
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