Postcard from James Arthur Mathews, 1917

A postcard collected by James Arthur Mathews, 1917.

This postcard was collected by James Arthur Mathews during World War I. Mathews was serving in France, and collected this postcard while in the city of Indre-et-Loire.

The image on the front of the postcard depicts the Tours Cathedral and the surrounding city of Indre-et-Loire and the Loire river.

The author of the correspondence on the back of the postcard laments that they thought "they would be home safe and sound by now," but instead are still in Indre-et-Loire, where it "rains all the time." The author asks the recipient to tell his mother and father "what a good boy" he has been. 

The interesting thing about this postcard is that it opens a window to the terrible conditions of the men and women serving in the war. Although the war was often glamorized through government propaganda back home, the true nature of the fighting and the environment was awful. This postcard, from its language to its shaky handwriting, offers a more human look into the painful experiances of World War I..