Portraits
An Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcards is the standard reference book on embroidered silk postcards. It contains references to over 2600 different cards with over 270 illustrations. The section on Portraits lists 30 cards showing fully embroidered portraits and 49 cards with photograph inserts. The cards listed below are additional cards discovered since the book was published. The new additions are shown in RED.
This section covers cards showing the image of a person or a name. The images mainly come from the First World War period. They can be fully embroidered or a photograph (or two) of the person appliqued to the embroidered silk panel. Most of the photographic images are of personalities from the Great War, but cards were available for people to stick their own photograph onto the silk panel to create a unique card of an unknown soldier and, possibly, their girlfriend. During the 1920s, these cards were continued using studio posed photographs of (mainly) glamorous women, possibly with their sweetheart.
Images of a representative selection of cards are shown beneath the listings.
Information and images on this site are © Ian Collins 2021.
No part may be reproduced, stored, transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.
EMBROIDERED PORTRAITS
Adolf Hitler (No caption - With crossed arms on printed background)
American Soldier MY VICTORY AND LOVE REIGNS BETWEEN US
SOUVENIR DE FRANCE
American Woman HAPPY BIRTHDAY
TO MY GIRLIE
British Soldier (No caption - Soldier smoking pipe)
A KISS FROM FRANCE
ALWAYS READY
FROM YOUR LOVING SON
SOUVENIR
SWEETHEART MINE
THOUGHTS OF YOU
TO MY DEAR DAUGHTER
TO MY DEAR GIRL
TO MY DEAR MOTHER
British Woman CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
SOUVENIR DE FRANCE
TO MY DEAR WIFE
TO MY SWEETHEART
Charlie Chaplin GREETINGS FROM CH. CHAPLIN
Field Marshall von Hindenburg V. HINDENBURG
French Airman SOUVENIR UN AVIATEUR
TO MY DEAR SON (printed)
French Soldier SOUVENIR D'ALSACE
A BIENTOT
SOUVENIR DE L'ARGONNE
SOUVENIR DE FRANCE 1914 1916
SOUVENIR DU FRONT
SOUVENIR UN POILU
SOUVENIR UN BLEUET
St QUENTIN 1914 1916
St QUENTIN 1914 1917
St QUENTIN 1916
St QUENTIN 1917
French Woman FLOWERS FROM FRANCE
SOUVENIR D'ALSACE
SOUVENIR DE FRANCE
TO MY DEAR SISTER
VIVE LA FRANCE
General Gallieni and Lord Kitchener GALLIENI KITCHENER
GALLIENI KITCHENER DEUX GRANDS CHEFS
General Joffre HONNEUR A JOFFRE
J’OFFRE NOTRE GRAND CHEF
Jesus Christ WESOTEGO ALLELUJA
King George V GEORGES V THE ALLEYS SOUVEREINS (sic)
King Peter 1st of Serbia PIERRE 1er LES SOUVERAINS ALLIES
Lord Kitchener of Khartoum FELD MARECHAL LORD KITCHENER
FIELD MARSHAL LORD KITCHENER
RULE BRITANNIA
President Raymond Poincare POINCARE LES CHEFS D'ETATS ALLIES
Queen Elisabeth & King Albert of Belgium SOUVENIR DE BELGIQUE
St Nicolas St NICOLAS
Swiss Soldier GRUSS AUS DEM MILIARDIENST
Uncle Sam holding a rifle VICTORY
EMBROIDERED PORTRAITS WITH PHOTOGRAPH FACE
Boy holding candle (Communion scene)
General Joffre GENERAL JOFFRE
Our Lady of Lourdes LOURDES
PHOTOGRAPH INSETS
SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH INSETS
Belgian BELGIAN SOLDIER WITH GIRLFRIEND
British GENERAL MURRAY
LORD LOUIS MOUNTBATTEN
French SOUVENIR DU J. JUARES
Dutch QUEEN WILHELMINA
Religious JESUS CHRIST
Spanish GENERAL FRANCO
DOUBLE PHOTOGRAPH INSETS
BELGIAN SOLDIER SOLDIER'S GIRLFRIEND
GENERAL NIVELLE LORD KITCHENER OF KHARTOUM
GENERAL JOFFRE ADMIRAL BEATTY
GENERAL JOFFRE GENERAL DE CASTELNAU
GENERAL JOFFRE GENERAL MURRAY
WOVEN SILK INSET
General Joffre JOFFRE QUI VIVE? FRANCE!
King Albert 1 of Belgium (No caption)
PRINTED SILK INSET
Edith Cavell REMEMBRANCE
Winston Churchill SOUVENIR
