Some 130 postcards printed on the occasion of the official visit of the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to the Holy Land. Various printers; most postcards printed in Germany, 1898.
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany made his journey to the Holy Land and the major cities of the Ottoman Empire in the months of October and November 1898. The visit to the Ottoman Empire was regarded as a highly significant historical milestone in relations between the two empires.
Because of the tremendous importance attached to the voyage, it was commemorated in many and varied ways – through books, games, and a host of souvenirs – but by far the foremost medium was the postcard. Germany was, at the time, the world’s leading producer of postcards. An astounding number of publishers – some 350 of them, from Germany and other countries – began publishing postcards commemorating the journey on a historically unprecedented scale. The vast majority of postcards were printed and circulated throughout the year 1898 – some shortly before the Kaiser embarked on his journey, most during the journey itself, and some shortly after his return to his homeland. In honor of the visit, some publishers made a special offer to purchasers: individual postcards would be sent to one of the Kaiser’s destinations in the Middle East, would await the Kaiser’s arrival at that destination, and would then be postmarked on the day of his arrival and be subsequently mailed to the purchaser.

The present collection comprises over 130 postcards – most of them postmarked – and is arranged in three albums according to the various types of postcards and according to the printed subject matter, as follows:
· The first album contains some 30 postcards either bearing rare postmarks or representing limited editions. Included: Two postcards and an envelope with rare postmarks from the royal yacht ("Kais. Deutsche Marine-Schiffsspost"); postcards with postmarks from the Imperial Tent Camp in Jerusalem ("Camp Imperial Jerusalem" in Latin and Arabic letters); four large-format postcards published by Knackstedt & Näther (Hamburg); a postcard issued in honor of a planned visit to a destination the Kaiser never actually reached – the city of Luxor, Egypt (published by Emil Frankel, Egypt); and more.
· The second album contains some 50 postcards that bear postmarks dating from the day of arrival of the Kaiser in various cities; these are postcards postmarked at the German post office branch in Jaffa; the Ottoman post office branch in Jerusalem; and the Austrian Consulate in Jerusalem; as well as postcards postmarked at the Imperial Tent Camp in Jerusalem, and more. In addition, in the same album there are postcards featuring pictures of the various hotels in which the Kaiser stayed in the course of his journey.
· The third album contains some 50 postcards from various places the Kaiser passed through during his journey, including Venice, Athens, Constantinople, the Holy Land, and additional places.
Included among the various publishing companies responsible for printing postcards in this collection are Hermann Vogel (Berlin), Alfred Silberman (Berlin), Knacksted & Näther (Hamburg), Verlag des Syrischen Waisenhaues (Jerusalem), Ersten Internationalen Ansichtskarten-Gesellschaft (Berlin-Vienna), and others.
Some of the postcards appear in duplicate copies, usually with variations.
Enclosed: · Portrait of the Kaiser (1906), wearing a medal struck to commemorate the inaugural ceremony (1898) of the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem; · Ex Libris (bookplate): "Kaiser Wilhelm Bibliothek Posen" (1898); · picture, mounted on cardboard, of a bronze bouquet of flowers, created for the Kaiser to lay on the tomb of Saladin in Damascus; 4 postcards that apparently served as inspiration for postcards issued in honor of the Kaiser’s journey to the Middle East.

Reference: Ralph Perry and David Pearlman, "Postcards commemorating the Journey of the Imperial Couple to the Orient in 1898", Verein für Württembergischen Kirchengeschichte, Stuttgart, 2019.

Some 130 postcards, approx. 9X14 cm (four of the postcards are in large format, 15X22 cm). Varying condition. Overall good condition.

Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Visit to Jerusalem
In the months of October-November 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and his wife, the Empress Augusta Victoria, toured some of the major cities of the Ottoman Empire, with Jerusalem being the most important of the destinations. The journey took place at a time when the impending and anticipated disintegration of the Ottoman Empire was hovering in the background, and a struggle between the European powers over the "spoils" – the assets of the so-called "Sick Man of Europe" – appeared likely to ensue in the near future. The journey went on for more than a month. Chief among its goals were the strengthening of ties between the German and Ottoman empires and the encouragement of Christian settlement in the Holy Land. Among the places visited by the Kaiser and his entourage were, in addition to Jerusalem, Athens, Constantinople, Haifa, Jaffa, Ramle, and Cairo.
Preparations for the Kaiser’s visit to Jerusalem had already begun in the summer of 1898. These included a massive municipal clean-up, the improvement and overhaul of infrastructure, the laying of a new telegraph line, and other operations. In time for the Kaiser’s arrival in Jerusalem, a number of municipal roads were widened. The authorities went as far as breaching a gap in Jerusalem’s Old City Wall, adjacent to Jaffa Gate, to enable the smooth passage of the Kaiser’s opulent carriage. In addition, the city streets – most notably HaNevi’im Street, where a special tent camp for the Kaiser and his entourage, the so-called "Camp Imperial", was to be temporarily constructed – were adorned with the flags of Germany and the Ottoman Empire, and with makeshift, portable ceremonial gates.
One of the main highlights of the Kaiser’s visit to Jerusalem was the inaugural ceremony of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, adjacent to the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. The Kaiser also visited the German Colony, the Mt. of Olives, City Hall, and other sites. From a Jewish standpoint, undoubtedly the most historically important event on the Kaiser’s itinerary was his hastily arranged meeting with Theodor Herzl.
Throughout their visit, Wilhelm and the Empress were accompanied by a small entourage. The Kaiser rode either on horseback or in the imperial carriage. Following in the footsteps of his immediate entourage in Jerusalem was a parade of lower-ranked officials, accompanied by cavalry regiments and "kawas" officials – ceremonial Ottoman-Empire bodyguards.
The Kaiser’s mission was documented in its time in hundreds of books and articles, and commemorated on playing cards, board games, and souvenir cards – collector’s items – featuring Holy Land landscapes. But beyond a doubt, the quintessential commemorative souvenirs of the visit were the numerous different postcards, many of excellent quality, printed specially for the occasion. An astounding number of publishers – some 350 of them, from Germany and other countries – began publishing postcards commemorating the journey on a historically unprecedented scale. Major publishers such as Vogel, Silbermann, and Knackstedt-Näther went as far as presenting stamp and postcard collectors with a special offer; in exchange for a fixed fee, subscribers would be rewarded with postcards featuring "the Kaiser’s blessing" from all the various cities he visited, postmarked and mailed on the very day the Kaiser actually made his presence in the city in question.