Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case GG, Shelf 68, Box G

In Loving Memory of the Sausage

Postcard
1914-1918 (printed), 1914-1918 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

By the early 20th Century greetings postcards had become more popular than folder cards as they were cheaper to post. During the First World War a ban on Christmas cards was mooted to conserve supplies of paper but the idea was rejected in the interests of maintaining morale. The propaganda potential of the postcard was exploited for the war effort as this satirical card at the expense of the German Kaiser illustrates.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleIn Loving Memory of the Sausage (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Letterpress on card
Brief description
Postcard, letterpress on card, 'In Loving Memory of the Sausage', published by E.L.P. Co., Britain, World War I, 1914-1918.
Physical description
Postcard in portrait format. On the front: humorous "poster" announcing the death of "The German Sausage" with text and illustrations printed in black within a black border. On the back: postcard template printed in green, V&A Museum stamp in black ink, former number and pressmark handwritten in black ink.
Dimensions
  • Height: 13.8cm
  • Width: 9cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'IN / Loving / Memory / of the / SAUSAGE / WHO WAS INFLATED WITH / SELF ESTEEM, / AND FINALLY / BUST / LIKE A GERMAN SAUSAGE SKIN. / THINKING THAT ALL NATIONS / HAD THE FEAR OF THE / GERMAN SAUSAGE / IN THEIR HEARTS / AS WELL AS IN / THEIR STOMACHS, / HE TWISTED THE TAIL / OF THE / BRITISH / LION - / - BUT EVEN PLUCKY LITTLE / BELGIUM WAS ABLE TO / SKIN THE / GERMAN SAUSAGE - / SO / HE / DIED!' (Lettered in black within the design)
  • 'POST CARD / THIS SPACE MAY BE USED FOR PRINTED / OR WRITTEN MATTER / ONLY THE ADDRESS TO BE / WRITTEN HERE / A / HALF-PENNY / STAMP TO / BE PLACED / HERE / Printed in England.' (On the back printed in green)
  • 'E.L.P. Co., / COPYRIGHT' (Lettered in black within the design, bottom corners)
Object history
This postcard formed part of a group transferred from Photographs to Prints for accessioning. In the process of cataloguing them and releasing them from the boards onto which they had been mounted it was discovered some of the postcards had already been numbered with 1969 numbers (now noted in the 'other number' field as 'numbered in error'). When the Photographs accessions register for 1969 was consulted two unrelated groups of material with the same run of numbers was discovered. One of these groups, which included this postcard was credited as being 'Given by Mrs Harrington'. Registry could find no record of a donation from a 'Mrs Harrington'.
Subjects depicted
Summary
By the early 20th Century greetings postcards had become more popular than folder cards as they were cheaper to post. During the First World War a ban on Christmas cards was mooted to conserve supplies of paper but the idea was rejected in the interests of maintaining morale. The propaganda potential of the postcard was exploited for the war effort as this satirical card at the expense of the German Kaiser illustrates.
Other numbers
  • 206-1969 - Incorrect number
  • X.825 - Previous National Art Library pressmark
  • B2.5
Collection
Accession number
E.409-2008

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Record createdNovember 30, 2010
Record URL
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