After the U.S.A. entered World War I, Czechoslovak artists took part in the propaganda campaign to promote Czech and Slovak men to enter the Czechoslovak legion in France. As a part of this activities, Vojtech Preissig created in 1917 a series of posters showing the Proclamation of the Representatives of Czechoslovak people in the U.S.A, various allegories on the topic of the national resistance, appeals to enter the Czech Legion and glorification of the heroic feats of the Czech Legion in France. In 1918, the Czechoslovak Recruiting Office in New York issued these posters were issued in form of postcards that were designed and printed at the Wentworth Institute in Boston where Preissig was working. These postcards, issued in a total of 37.200 series, became very popular and spread both in the United States and in the Czech Legion in France and Italy. Until now they belong to the most popular Czechoslovak military postcards and are looked for by collectors worldwide. This webpage is aimed at providing collectors and historians basic information about the military postcards by Vojtech Preissig.
The military postcards by Vojtech Preissig are known in several series differing in design and captions. For the purpose of this study, they are marked with capital letters A, E, I, N and P (attention - these letters do not appear on the cards!).
Series A
Printed
by the Wentworth Institute on thick lightly brownish paper. List of addresses of
the recruiting offices is imprinted in red on bottom of the picture side.
Numbered 1 to 16 in blue on right bottom of the picture side. English
translation of the text on # 9 issued in postcard format. Appearance of the address side:
Series I
Same appearance as Series N but with Italian captions (translating the slogans on the pictures) imprinted in black on bottom of the picture side. Numbered 1 to 14 in blue on right bottom of the picture side (two postcards corresponding to # 9 and 10 of Series A are missing in this series so that starting with # 9, the numbers are shifted against Series A).
Series E
Printed
by the Wentworth Institute on very thick lightly brownish paper. English captions
(translating the
slogans on the pictures) imprinted in red on bottom of the picture side.
Numbered 1 to 16 in blue on right bottom of the picture side (# 9 and 10 are
reversed against Series A). List of addresses of
the recruiting offices is imprinted in black on left bottom of the address side:
Most of the paintings are changed against the Series A, N and I. In particular, the resistance flag (five horizontal stripes - red, white, blue, white, red, designed by V. Preissig for the Czechoslovak National Council) is replaced with the preliminary national flag (two horizontal stripes - red and white) and the colors of some parts of the uniforms of the soldiers are changed. Note also the swap of inscriptions between # 1 and 6. From the above it can be concluded that this series was issued later than the Series A, N and I.
Series P
Czechoslovak reprint of Series E (16 postcards) issued in the twenties by "Pamatnik odboje". Printed on thick white chalky paper. No captions and no numbering. Appearance of the address side (PO stands for Pamatnik odboje):
The following table shows all postcards of the various series recorded so far. Click on the images to enlarge and click the back button of your browser to return to the table.
| series A | series I | series E | series P |
1  |
1  |
1  |
 |
2  |
2  |
2  |
 |
3  |
3  |
3  |
 |
4  |
4  |
4  |
 |
5  |
5  |
||
6  |
6  |
6  |
 |
7  |
7  |
 |
|
8  |
8  |
8  |
 |
9  |
not contained in this series |
10 |
 |
10 |
not contained in this series |
9  |
 |
11 |
9  |
11 |
 |
12 |
10 |
12 |
 |
13 |
11 |
13 |
 |
14 |
12 |
14 |
 |
15 |
13 |
15 |
 |
16 |
14 |
16 |
 |
Remarks to the table:
(1) # 9 and 14 of series A and # 9 of series E (on thick paper)
are known also without imprinted text on front and # 10 of series E (on thick
paper) is known with two lines of imprinted text:
9  |
14  |
9  |
10  |
(2) # 1 and 8 were also reprinted by Slavia, Prague as # 53 and 54 of the series for the
Legionary help committee of the Czechoslovak ministry of defense in Prague (# 54 is known with two different printings of the address side:
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 |
|
 |
 |
 |
