The fact that a few of us are enjoying these graphics pleases me no end ...
Good thing for us collectors the Germans were prolific at producing these postcard images, there are so many diverse themes to study and admire, plenty with military overtones, too. Some of those that are "staged" in a photographer's studio are very unique - having props, background-drops, great lighting as well as trick-photography methods that were no doubt "state-of-the-art" for that time period.
Here's a humorous example that I like that's titled, "A Strong Knocking-together," inferring the English, French and Russian dwarfs were going to get their collective heads bashed together ... and we all know how well that worked out ... heh..
The second is a plain, simple Easter greeting with military/patriotic motifs, most likely something one could purchase in the PX for a penny or two.
The third image is of Siegfried/Sigmund from Nordic Sagas which were found written on runic tablets, decyphered and then written into slightly different versions with character names changing regionally, here and there. This is the Icelandic version and the hero's name is Sigurd, whereas in the middle-high German version our champion's name is Siegfried, who slays the mighty dragon, Fafnir. These old tales are full of descriptions of legendary, powerful, magical swords and edged weapons that were painstakingly forged by sophisticated elves, dwarves and gnomes for both the heroes and villains of the stories. It's also one of the reasons why the sword is a common leitmotif in older German culture, especially in books and illustrations.
Borrowed this brief background on Sigurd/Siegfried that will give you a small taste for the Sagas ...
In the Völsunga saga, Sigurd is the posthumous son of Sigmund and his second wife, Hiordis. Sigmund dies in battle when he attacks Odin (who is in disguise), and Odin shatters Sigmund's sword. Dying, Sigmund tells Hiordis of her pregnancy and bequeaths the fragments of his sword to his unborn son. Sigurd agrees to kill Fafnir, who has turned himself into a dragon in order to be better able to guard the gold. Sigurd has Regin make him a sword, which he tests by striking the anvil. The sword shatters, so he has Regin make another. This also shatters. Finally, Sigurd has Regin make a sword out of the fragments that had been left to him by Sigmund. The resulting sword, Gram, cuts through the anvil. To kill Fafnir the dragon, Regin advises him to dig a pit, wait for Fafnir to walk over it, and then stab the dragon. Odin, posing as an old man, advises Sigurd to dig trenches also to drain the blood, and to bathe in it after killing the dragon; bathing in Fafnir's blood confers invulnerability. Sigurd does so and kills Fafnir; Sigurd then bathes in the dragon's blood, which touches all of his body except for one of his shoulders where a leaf was stuck. Regin then asked Sigurd to give him Fafnir's heart for himself. Sigurd drinks some of Fafnir's blood and gains the ability to understand the language of birds. Birds advise him to kill Regin, since Regin is plotting Sigurd's death. Sigurd beheads Regin, roasts Fafnir's heart and consumes part of it. This gives him the gift of "wisdom" (prophecy).
For anyone who collects German swords and daggers my best advice would be to read some of the old Norse legends, you'll gain a lot of insight into why the Germans held them in such high esteem.
