Imperial German WWI Engagement Announcement-June 1918

Original Imperial German World War I engagement announcement card announcing the engagement of Ella Ziesmer and Leutnant d. R. (Reserve Lieutenant) and Company Commander Otto Krieger during the final year of the First World War.

The elegant embossed announcement reads:

Ella Ziesmer

Otto Krieger

Leutnant d. R. und Kompanie-Führer

(Reserve Lieutenant and Company Commander)

Verlobte (Engaged)

Werden-Ruhr

June 1918

“Z. Zt. im Felde”

(Currently serving in the field)

This final notation is particularly significant, indicating that Lieutenant Krieger was actively serving at the front when the engagement was announced. Cards of this type were mailed to family and friends to formally announce engagements while officers were away on military service.

The card features high-quality embossed borders and fine period typography, representative of upper- and middle-class German stationery of the Imperial era.

Condition

• Original 1918 engagement announcement

• Crisp embossed decorative border

• Excellent printing and strong contrast

• Minor age toning and light handling wear

• Small edge tear on the left margin

• Displays exceptionally well

Historical Significance

Unlike standard wartime postcards, this is a personal family announcement from the closing months of World War I. The groom’s rank as a Reserve Lieutenant and Company Commander places him in a position of considerable responsibility during one of the war’s most difficult periods. The phrase “currently serving in the field” provides a direct connection to active military service at the time the engagement was announced.

Personal military engagement announcements from Imperial Germany are considerably scarcer than standard patriotic postcards or military photographs and are sought after by collectors of World War I ephemera, Imperial German militaria, and genealogy.