Original 1918-1919 Allied Occupation of Germany Bonn Identity Card Photo ID-Post-WWI

Original post-World War I German civilian identity document issued in Bonn, Germany, during the Allied occupation following the end of WWI.

The document is headed “Card of Identity / Personalausweis” and is printed bilingually in English and German. This type of identification was used during the occupation period when Allied forces controlled the Rhineland.

The card was issued to Artur Born, identified as a student residing in Bonn. It contains an original portrait photograph of the bearer along with handwritten identifying information, including physical characteristics and his personal signature.

Particularly attractive are the numerous original Stadt Bonn (City of Bonn) ink stamps, including stamps overlapping the photograph—an important feature of period identification documents.

The front is dated December 19, 1918, only days after British troops entered and occupied Bonn on December 8. 

The reverse bears an additional Bonn municipal stamp and an extension notation indicating validity into July 1919. It also contains the bilingual restriction:

“The bearer of this Card of Identity is assigned at … and has permission to go there and to return daily.”

This makes the piece particularly interesting as an artifact documenting civilian life under Allied occupation rather than simply an ordinary German identification paper.

Condition

Good original condition for a document more than 100 years old. It has substantial original fold lines, handling wear, toning, minor staining/soiling and edge wear. The photograph remains attached and the majority of the handwriting, printing and municipal stamps remain clearly visible.