World War I caused France to to mobilize more than 8 million soldiers, and led to over
4 million casualties: 1.4 million killed and 3 million wounded. During those 51 months of combat, separation and anguish, postcards played an essential role in maintaining contact between soldiers and their loved ones, allowing for brief messages that were often better adapted to both the soldiers’ and the civilians’ situations than longer letters were.

This book reproduces a selection of those postcards, filled with lighthearted chit-chat meant to reassure, and everyday sweet nothings. True relics...

Gérard Mordillat writes novels, non-fiction and poetry. A filmmaker, he has directed both features and documentaries for the cinema and television.

As a specialist in social and environmental photos, Michel Christolhomme is devoted to preserving and disseminating this cultural heritage, from the everyday to the exceptional.