Some 115 postcards related to the Dreyfus affair. Various publishers, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy [late 19th and early 20th centuries]. Some postcards with undivided backs. The collection includes postcards issued by Dreyfus's supporters, plus a handful representing the anti-Dreyfusards, featuring political cartoons, illustrations, and photographs. Including: portraits of Dreyfus, Emile Zola, Ferdinand Esterhazy, and other figures related to the affair; a number of antisemitic caricatures; "Real-photo" postcards of Dreyfus's exoneration ceremony following his acquittal; and more. Many Dreyfus-related postcards, bearing multiple photographs and illustrations, were printed throughout the Affair, representing various developments in the case. Some postcards sided with Dreyfus, while others were hostile to him. The postcards gradually gained popularity and served as an important propaganda tool. As a whole, they were instrumental in molding public opinion regarding the Affair. Approx. 115 postcards, including duplicates. Approx. 38 postcards were used. Condition varies. Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), French Jewish army officer, spuriously convicted of treason. Suspicions of fabricated evidence, false testimonies, and a travesty of justice resulted in an outpouring of protest unprecedented in French history. Over time, the subject came to be known as "the Dreyfus affair." Alfred Dreyfus was born in the city of Mulhouse in the Alsace region of France. At age 11, he witnessed the invasion of his hometown by the German army. The experience had a profound impact upon him, and gave him the determination to enlist as a French soldier, which he did in 1877. Dreyfus was accepted to the officers' training course in Fontainbleu, ascended through the ranks, and, in 1893, became the only Jewish officer to attain membership in the French army's General Staff. Shortly after his entry into the General Staff, the French Secret Service uncovered a torn-up note (which later became known as "the bordereau"), sent clandestinely by a French officer to German forces, disclosing highly classified military documents. The French establishment was quick to point an accusing finger at Dreyfus – again, the sole Jewish officer in the General Staff. Dreyfus was immediately arrested and interrogated harshly, without ever being informed of the exact nature of the charges against him. His interrogators went as far as attempting to persuade him to preserve his honor by committing suicide. Following a hastily expedited court martial procedure conducted behind closed doors, Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment and exile on Devil's Island. At the time of his degradation ceremony, whereupon Dreyfus's army rank was canceled, he cried: "Soldiers, they are canceling the rank of an innocent man. Soldiers, they are humiliating an innocent man. Long live France! Long live its army!" Notwithstanding efforts on the part of the French authorities to cover up Dreyfus's story and keep it out of the public eye, it somehow managed to leak to the newspapers and stir up a major outcry that would tear France into two opposing camps, pro- and anti-Dreyfus. The struggle between the camps was unprecedented in scope, and resulted in the publication of countless articles, posters, postcards, and propaganda sheets, all with the purpose of influencing French public opinion. The climax of the Affair came in January 1898 with the publication of the article entitled "J'Accuse" ["I Accuse"] by Émile Zola, one of France's most celebrated authors. The article was worded as an open letter to the President of the French Republic, and assumed the form of an unmitigated attack on the French establishment, the courts, the army, and dozens of public figures and other "bad actors" who took part in Alfred Dreyfus's incrimination process. Publication of the article caused the Affair to reverberate well beyond France's borders; once it began reaching foreign newspapers, it sparked a wave of protests in Belgium, England, Italy, and the United States, and in a few places, the police were called upon to provide security for French embassies. In response to mounting pressure, French President Émile Loubet decided to grant Dreyfus a full pardon, and on September 19, 1899, the decree was signed. In 1903, following a transfer of power in France, a new investigation was launched of all those involved in the Affair, which exposed all the false testimonies and all the miscarriages of justice. This fresh examination resulted in a statement declaring Dreyfus to be completely innocent. A formal exoneration was granted in 1906; Dreyfus was rehabilitated, reinstated into the ranks of the army, and decorated with the title of "Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor."