BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 7): Mail Call

DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 7): Mail Call:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Slide Show: Want to see the pictures as a slide show? [Slideshow]

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

Share: Facebook Twitter Digg
[1] SIPMMC_210828_01.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[2] SIPMMC_210828_05.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[3] SIPMMC_210828_12.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[4] SIPMMC_210828_14.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[5] SIPMMC_210828_17.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[6] SIPMMC_210828_20.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[7] SIPMMC_210828_23.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[8] SIPMMC_210828_26.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[9] SIPMMC_210828_29.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[10] SIPMMC_210828_31.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[11] SIPMMC_210828_34.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[12] SIPMMC_210828_38.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[13] SIPMMC_210828_39.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[14] SIPMMC_210828_41.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[15] SIPMMC_210828_45.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[16] SIPMMC_210828_48.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[17] SIPMMC_210828_49.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[18] SIPMMC_210828_50.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[19] SIPMMC_210828_54.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[20] SIPMMC_210828_56.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[21] SIPMMC_210828_58.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[22] SIPMMC_210828_59.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[23] SIPMMC_210828_62.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[24] SIPMMC_210828_65.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[25] SIPMMC_210828_72.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[26] SIPMMC_210828_74.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[27] SIPMMC_210828_76.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIPMMC_210828_01.JPG: 3 people permitted at a time OR Limit to one household or group at a time
2. SIPMMC_210828_12.JPG: Over There: America Goes to War On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia in retaliation for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The attack triggered diplomatic alliances, which led countries to go to war. The Central Powers coalition of Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria fought against more than 20 allied countries, including Russia, France, and Great Britain. The United States remained neutral until Germany announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917. After the destruction of American ships and other provocations, President Woodrow Wilson told Congress, "The world must be made safe for democracy," as he successfully requested a declaration of war. By June, the American Expeditionary Forces stared deploying to Europe. The AEF trained with the Allies and then engaged in its first battle in autumn 1917. Brutal combat continued through early November 1918 when the two sides negotiated ceasefire agreements. The Great War, later known as World War I, claimed an estimated 17 million lives of military personnel and civilians. The war profoundly changed society and global politics.
3. SIPMMC_210828_14.JPG: Holiday Delivery The US military reported that over 15 million parcels, issues of print matter, and packages with the special Christmas "coupons" arrived in Europe during December 1918. Additionally, 46 million letters came from the US while AEF service personnel sent home over 40 million letters. Delays and misdirection often hampered delivery of wartime mail, but military officials found their transportation convoys kept the mail running relatively smoothly during the busy holiday season. "After writing this letter I received the Christmas Pkg, on Christmas eve. It just reached here at the right time. I guess there will be no use hanging up our stockings tonight! Well I thank you all for the package, and it helps make a Merry Christmas for me. This coupon has crossed the ocean 3 times and covered over 15,000 miles." -- Sergeant Clyde Eoff to his sister Josephine, December 24, 1918
4. SIPMMC_210828_17.JPG: "After writing this letter I received the Christmas Pkg, on Christmas eve. It just reached here at the right time. I guess there will be no use hanging up our stockings tonight! Well I thank you all for the package, and it helps make a Merry Christmas for me. This coupon has crossed the ocean 3 times and covered over 15,000 miles." -- Sergeant Clyde Eoff to his sister Josephine, December 24, 1918
5. SIPMMC_210828_26.JPG: Moving the Mail Across the United States, the Red Cross assisted postal customers to assemble the Christmas parcels. Once a parcel passed the Red Cross inspection, the package was sealed, and the "coupon" was attached to serve as the address label. All parcels and letters addressed to AEF members traveled to New York City for processing and dispatching to the port of embarkation at Hoboken, New Jersey, for shipping to US military stations overseas.
6. SIPMMC_210828_34.JPG: Community Support In addition to distributing the "coupons" for the Christmas parcels, the Red Cross also took on some of the responsibilities of working directly with postal customers. Volunteers passed out the standardized packaging (limited to just 9 by 4 by 3 inches) and performed inspections to check for prohibited goods and ensure the parcel did not exceed the 3-pound weight limit.
7. SIPMMC_210828_41.JPG: Care Packages What did deployed service members hope to receive? Overwhelmingly they wanted the comforts of home. Newspapers and merchants promoted goods that could be practical and useful, but also personal. When US Army pharmacist David Friedman wrote from France on November 2, 1917, he told his "folks" to send gifts that, unsurprisingly, would be popular again during the the 1918 holiday season: "If it is possible I should very much like a box of good things to eat. Let Molly bake a few of her good cookies with nuts in them and have mother send a bottle of pickles or preserves. . . . Then a little candy and a couple more tubes of . . . Tooth Paste. Three or four pairs of sox, heavy woolen ones and a few handkerchiefs. That's all. It may sound like a great deal but really it doesn't amount to much. And it sure will help to cheer me up." -- Courtesy Center for American War Letters, Leatherby Libraries, Chapman University, CA The contents of the parcels were important to postal workers as well as to the recipients. The contents and containers had to withstand the challenges of the long voyage, which could take from two to six weeks. Perishable items were not allowed, and busted packages and ripped or lost labels caused delays. Postal and military officials intended that the standard packages for the AEF would protect the contents while helping to speed the processing of mail and loading it on trucks, trains, and ships.
8. SIPMMC_210828_45.JPG: Care Packages What did deployed service members hope to receive? Overwhelmingly they wanted the comforts of home. Newspapers and merchants promoted goods that could be practical and useful, but also personal. When US Army pharmacist David Friedman wrote from France on November 2, 1917, he told his "folks" to send gifts that, unsurprisingly, would be popular again during the the 1918 holiday season:
9. SIPMMC_210828_48.JPG: "If it is possible I should very much like a box of good things to eat. Let Molly bake a few of her good cookies with nuts in them and have mother send a bottle of pickles or preserves. . . . Then a little candy and a couple more tubes of . . . Tooth Paste. Three or four pairs of sox, heavy woolen ones and a few handkerchiefs. That's all. It may sound like a great deal but really it doesn't amount to much. And it sure will help to cheer me up." -- Courtesy Center for American War Letters, Leatherby Libraries, Chapman University, CA
10. SIPMMC_210828_49.JPG: The contents of the parcels were important to postal workers as well as to the recipients. The contents and containers had to withstand the challenges of the long voyage, which could take from two to six weeks. Perishable items were not allowed, and busted packages and ripped or lost labels caused delays. Postal and military officials intended that the standard packages for the AEF would protect the contents while helping to speed the processing of mail and loading it on trucks, trains, and ships.
11. SIPMMC_210828_50.JPG: Maintaining Morale [Shaping Expectations] To control the growing amount of mail without negatively affecting morale, officials put limitations on parcel mail for the AEF. Starting in April 1918, deployed military personnel had to submit requests for parcels and to have the items approved by commanding officers. By the fall of 1918, an additional measure was introduced with assistance from the Red Cross helping with the Christmas mail rush. An AEF service member could request a form, commonly referred to as a "coupon," to send home to ask for a three-pound box of gifts. Later, friends or family members were allowed to apply to get the form to authorize mailing a holiday parcel to their loved ones overseas. Sergeant Clyde Eoff posing for a photo "I am informed that there is to be a certain type of Christmas box to be sent to us this year. You don't need to bother about sending anything as we have all we need at present." -- Sergeant Clyde Eoff to his sister Josephine, September 28, 1918 Special Mailing Day Mail went both directions during World War I. Starting November 1918 the Post Office, military, and charities collaborated to organize a letter writing campaign for a specially designated mailing deadline, referred to as "fathers' day." They prompted AEF personnel to send messages to their fathers and the postal officials pledged to deliver the letters by Christmas.
12. SIPMMC_210828_54.JPG: Christmas 1918 Longing For Home Over two million American military service men and women were stationed in Europe when the declaration of Armistice on November 11, 1918 effectively ended World War I. The deployed service personnel of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) transitioned from combat readiness, advanced to occupy Germany and began preparations to demobilize. Many, who had hoped to return home to the United States by Christmas 1918 could not, but with the help of the Red Cross, military and postal officials already had plans to deliver Christmas by mail.
13. SIPMMC_210828_56.JPG: Christmas 1918 Longing For Home Over two million American military service men and women were stationed in Europe when the declaration of Armistice on November 11, 1918 effectively ended World War I. The deployed service personnel of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) transitioned from combat readiness, advanced to occupy Germany and began preparations to demobilize. Many, who had hoped to return home to the United States by Christmas 1918 could not, but with the help of the Red Cross, military and postal officials already had plans to deliver Christmas by mail.
14. SIPMMC_210828_62.JPG: Maintaining Morale [Shaping Expectations] To control the growing amount of mail without negatively affecting morale, officials put limitations on parcel mail for the AEF. Starting in April 1918, deployed military personnel had to submit requests for parcels and to have the items approved by commanding officers. By the fall of 1918, an additional measure was introduced with assistance from the Red Cross helping with the Christmas mail rush. An AEF service member could request a form, commonly referred to as a "coupon," to send home to ask for a three-pound box of gifts. Later, friends or family members were allowed to apply to get the form to authorize mailing a holiday parcel to their loved ones overseas. Sergeant Clyde Eoff posing for a photo "I am informed that there is to be a certain type of Christmas box to be sent to us this year. You don't need to bother about sending anything as we have all we need at present." -- Sergeant Clyde Eoff to his sister Josephine, September 28, 1918 Special Mailing Day Mail went both directions during World War I. Starting November 1918 the Post Office, military, and charities collaborated to organize a letter writing campaign for a specially designated mailing deadline, referred to as "fathers' day." They prompted AEF personnel to send messages to their fathers and the postal officials pledged to deliver the letters by Christmas.
15. SIPMMC_210828_65.JPG: Special Mailing Day Mail went both directions during World War I. Starting November 1918 the Post Office, military, and charities collaborated to organize a letter writing campaign for a specially designated mailing deadline, referred to as "fathers' day." They prompted AEF personnel to send messages to their fathers and the postal officials pledged to deliver the letters by Christmas.
16. SIPMMC_210828_72.JPG: "I am informed that there is to be a certain type of Christmas box to be sent to us this year. You don't need to bother about sending anything as we have all we need at present." -- Sergeant Clyde Eoff to his sister Josephine, September 28, 1918
17. SIPMMC_210828_76.JPG: My Fellow Soldiers Letters from World War I At the end of the war, General John J. Pershing -- commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) -- wrote a letter that begins "My Fellow Soldiers." Pershing expressed his profound respect and appreciation for the sacrifice, endurance, and will of those who served under him. Each member of the AEF received a copy of the message. Letters were the primary form of communication between the home and military fronts and allowed both writers and recipients to preserve connections and share experiences. The selection of correspondence presented in this exhibition illuminates the relationships, thoughts, and emotions of the authors as they grappled with the effects of World War I. My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I was created by the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum in collaboration with the Center for American War Letters at Chapman University. This exhibition is made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Multi Column: Number of columns of thumbnails to appear per page (normally defaults to 3): [1 col] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Description of Subject Matter: Mail Call
November 10, 2011 – Permanent
Level 1: Mail in America Galleries
Soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen anxiously awaiting mail delivery is a familiar scene from movies, newsreels, and documentary photographs. Mail call is the moment when the frontline and home front connect. This exhibition tells the history of military mail from the American Revolution to 2010: How does this mail reach its destination? What roles does it play? Why does it influence morale? The exhibition explores the great lengths taken to set up and operate postal services under extraordinary circumstances. It also features letters that reveal the expressions, emotions, and events of the time. On the battlefront and at home, mail provides a vital communication link between military service personnel, their communities, and their loved ones.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 7): Mail Call) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2018_DC_SIPM_Mail_Call_WWI: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 7): Mail Call: My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I (32 photos from 2018)
- 2017_DC_SIPM_Mail_Call_WWI: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 7): Mail Call: My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I (21 photos from 2017)
- 2012_DC_SIPM_Mail_Call: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 7): Mail Call (4 photos from 2012)
Generally-Related Pages: Other pages with content (DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (location): ) somewhat related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2012_DC_SIPM_Systems: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 4): Systems at Work (48 photos from 2012)
- 2015_DC_SIPM_Stamp_Salon: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 5): National Stamp Salon (72 photos from 2015)
- 2013_DC_SIPM_Stamp_Salon: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 5): National Stamp Salon (18 photos from 2013)
- 2014_DC_SIPM_Stamp_Salon: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 5): National Stamp Salon (1 photo from 2014)
- 2013_DC_SIPM_Stamps_World: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 1): World of Stamps (27 photos from 2013)
- 2018_DC_SIPM_Stamps_World: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 1): World of Stamps (33 photos from 2018)
- 2014_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Globe: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 6): Stamps Around the Globe (34 photos from 2014)
- 2015_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Globe: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 6): Stamps Around the Globe (135 photos from 2015)
- 2013_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Globe: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 6): Stamps Around the Globe (23 photos from 2013)
- 2021_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Connect: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 4): Connect with U.S. Stamps (1 photo from 2021)
- ...More (List all 61 pages)...
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [(Smithsonian) Postal Museum] [Display ALL (Smithsonian) Postal Museum photos] [Museums (History)] [Museums (Other)]
2021 photos: This year, which started with former child president's attempted coup and the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, gradually got better. Trips this year: (May, October) After getting fully vaccinated, I made two trips down to Asheville, NC to visit my dad and his wife Dixie, and (mid-July) I made a quick trip up to Stockbridge, MA to see the Norman Rockwell Museum again as well as Daniel Chester French's place @ Chesterwood. Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Number of photos taken this year: about 283,000, up slightly from 2020 levels but still really low.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Limiting Text: You can turn off all of this text by clicking this link: [Thumbnails Only]
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].