1921 Germany Postcard Weimar Era Tuberculosis Appeal War Invalid Kurrent Script For Sale

This is a handwritten postcard sent from Germany to the United States, postmarked February 10, 1921, during the early years of the Weimar Republic. The card bears two Germania definitive stamps, a red 10-pfennig and a blue 30-pfennig issue, canceled with a rectangular machine mark reading “10. 2. 21. 6-7 N” and a circular postmark. The address side is directed to Mrs. Margaret Tubach at 524 Livingston Street in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, with a corrected house number revealing the original “451” overwritten. The message, written vertically on the left in German Kurrent script, opens with “Meine Nichte…” and closes with the signature “Margret,” indicating a familial correspondence typical of transatlantic communication between German immigrants and relatives who remained in Europe.The reverse side contains a second, entirely handwritten note in the same Kurrent script, dated identically February 10, 1921, and addressed to “Liebe Tante.” The sender, signed as H. Work at the bottom right, makes a charitable appeal on behalf of a destitute family. The text requests donations of used clothing and shoes for a one-year-old and a three-year-old boy, noting that the father is a “Kriegsinvalide,” or war invalid, and that the mother and children are “lungenkrank,” a term commonly referring to tuberculosis. The family is advised to travel to the Schwarzwald, or Black Forest, for a restorative fresh-air cure but lacks adequate garments. The appeal emphasizes urgency, stating that everything from discarded shoes to little caps would be accepted with gratitude, and provides the address of Frau Kling at Lindenhofstrasse 49 in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg.This postcard serves as a poignant artifact of post-World War I social conditions, documenting the widespread poverty, the lingering impact of war injuries, and the prevalence of tuberculosis in Germany’s impoverished urban populations. The use of Kurrent script, the educational standard in Germany until the early 1940s, adds paleographic significance, while the dual messages illustrate the dual function of such cards as both personal correspondence and vehicles for community aid. The paper exhibits deep age-related toning and minor corner wear, with the dark brown ink remaining well-preserved. This item offers researchers and collectors a vivid glimpse into the everyday struggles and charitable networks of Weimar-era German society, as well as the material culture of transatlantic immigrant correspondence.