Gruss von der Teufelsinsel - "Blessings from Devil's Island". An early [undivided back] antisemitic postcard issued while Dreyfus was deported to the devil's Island. Lithographic print. Sent by mail in 1898.
To the left is the hut in which Dreyfus was held, to the right the figure of Dreyfus, in the center, the Devil's Island. A German publishing house mocking Dreyfus, who is rotting in prison.
After being sentenced to life in prison in his first trial, Dreyfus was sent to Devil's Island. He was placed in a 4 by 4 meter hut, his movement was restricted and four guards watched over him day and night. The temperature on the island reached 45 degrees, and he was given nutritious military rations. While there, Dreyfus contracted several tropical diseases, and received poor treatment. His health condition worsened from year to year. He could write to his wife, but letters from her rarely reached him, he was utterly despairing, Convinced of himself, like many in Europe of those days, that his life would end on the island of demons.
Devil's Island - off the coast of South America, is famous for the secluded prison that operated in it which is one of the most famous prisons in history. The island, as part of the Salvation Islands, served France from 1852 to 1946, and contained a variety of prisoners, from political prisoners to thieves and murderers. More than 80,000 prisoners were sent to a place characterized by harsh living conditions and disease. The atrocities and harsh conditions in which the prisoners were held at the place came to the public consciousness in 1895 with the publication of the imprisonment of Alfred Dreyfus who was sent to prison on the island.
Undivided Back, very good condition.
