Accession Number: 2022.02.8.31

Historical background: Wilhelm was ruler of Margrave of Baden-Baden (an early southwest German territory within the Holy Roman Empire) and chief commander of the Imperial army. This postcard was used during Winterhilfswerk 1939-40.

The Winterhilfswerk was founded by the Nazi Party on September 13, 1933. It was the official Nazi Party Winter Relief Charity with a purpose of supporting the poor and hungry during the cold German winter months and at the same time creating a positive image for the party making recipients more respective to party propaganda. According to the Nazi Party, beneficiaries in 1933-34 exceeded 16.6 million persons, or approximately 25% of the population. One of the methods of funding this program was the issuance of miniature booklets, which were given to contributors as a token memento. Used from 1933-1940, these “donation gifts” explained the party’s accomplishments with some of the text taken directly from Hitler’s speeches. Complete with graphics, these booklets were holed on the back cover so that they could be hung for display.