The Postcard
A postcard that was printed and published by Dobson, Molle & Co. Ltd. of Edinburgh and London. The artwork was by Lawson Wood, and the card was printed in Great Britain.
The card was posted in Colchester on Thursday the 15th. October 1914 to:
Miss N. Gates,
27 Avenue Road,
Winslow,
Bucks.
The pencilled message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Thursday.
Dear Nancy,
Tell Mammy I shall be
back in Chelmsford
tomorrow I expect.
Love to you and Teddy
and Mammy.
Daddy".
A Wee Scrap of Paper
The image on the postcard is taken from a Great War recruitment poster that was targeted at Scottish men.
The caption refers to the Germans declaring the Treaty of London (1839), which granted Belgium's neutrality and independence, as a "scrap of paper", then violating the treaty they signed and invading Belgium.
There doesn't appear to be anything of particular significance about the Rue Jean Mirae, even though it has been given some prominence in the artwork.
Lawson Wood
Clarence Lawson Wood was born in Highgate, London on the 23rd. August 1878. He was an English painter, illustrator and designer.
Lawson Wood was the son of landscape artist Pinhorn Wood RI (1848–1918), and the grandson of architectural artist L. J. Wood RI, (1813 – 1901).
He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, and took evening classes at Frank Calderon's School of Animal Painting.
In 1896, at the age of 18, he was employed with periodical publisher C. Arthur Pearson. He soon became Pearson's chief artist, leaving after six years to pursue a successful freelance career.
Lawson was published in The Graphic, The Strand Magazine, Punch, The Illustrated London News, and the Boys Own Paper. He illustrated a number of books, including Louis Tracy's The Invaders in 1901 for Pearson.
In 1902, he married the fashion artist Charlotte Forge. The couple had two sons and one daughter.
Lawson's books include The Bow-Wow Book (1912), Rummy Tales (1920), The Noo-Zoo Tales (1922), Jolly Rhymes (1926), Fun Fair (1931), The Old Nursery Rhymes (1933), The Bedtime Picture Book (1943), Meddlesome Monkeys (1946) and Mischief Makers (1946).
He also produced a series of 'Mr.' books in 1916: Mr Prickles, Mr Quack, Mr Trunk, Mr Grunt, Mr Fox, and Mr Pup.
Assessment of Lawson Wood's Work
Peppin and Micklethwait stated that Wood's wide reputation as a humorous illustrator and commercial artist was based in part on astute management.
He retained the copyright to his work, and licensed it in Britain and abroad for posters, postcards, etc. Cran'pop was merchandised in pottery, calendars, postcards, and cigarette cards.
Wood worked in pen and ink, pencils, chalk, and watercolour. He used a specially made enamel palette about one foot (300 mm) square, and worked on Milburn Drawing Board at an architects desk.
Houfe said that:
"Most of Wood's work was humorous in drawing
and content, his repertoire of characters including
peppery army officers, namby-pamby men and
dominating old dames.
The figures are heavily caricatured, and he was
one of the group of artists who made capital out
of imaginary prehistoric scenes."
Kelly calls a watercolour by Wood:
"A welcome holiday from the prehistoric
monsters and chimpanzees on which he
wasted so much talent."
Percy Bradshaw stated that:
"Wood had a breadth, ease and fluency
which many an infinitely more serious
artist must envy".
Later Life and Death of Lawson Wood
Wood lived in a 15th.-century medieval manor house that he moved brick by brick from Sussex to the Kent border.
He died in Honiton, Devon on the 26th. October 1957 at the age of 79.
Ludwig Sauerhöfer
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, the 15th. October 1914 marked the death at the age of 31 of Ludwig Sauerhöfer.
Ludwig, who was born in Ludwigshafen, Germany on the 5th. March 1883, was a German wrestler. He competed in the lightweight event at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
Ludwig was killed in action during the Great War.
