When: closing December 2, 2018
Here's yet another show I rushed to see before it closed. I'm very much of two minds about the Postal Museum: on the one hand, it's part of my beloved Smithsonian, but on the other, it's such a nuisance to get over there.
Most of the time, I'm not sure that the exhibits I see are worth the trek. They're okay, but nothing to really write home about. Just when I'm about to skip a show, I remember the fantastic display of "secrets" that people wrote in to the USPS - I'm very glad I didn't miss that. And I really enjoyed the show about FDR and stamps, and I got to see the world's rarest stamp...you see the quandary I'm in.
So this time, I forked over some money to Metro and took the subway over to Union Station to pay a visit. This show is part of the 100th anniversary of the ending of WWI, and deals with the letters between servicemen fighting overseas and their families. Mail from home was enormously important, obviously, as was mail sent back to the US.
Those letters from the front didn't always give a realistic view of what was happening, both because people didn't want to horrify their families, and due to censorship of the mail, lest the letters fall into enemy hands and reveal important information. Charitable organizations would distribute post cards to soldiers, sometimes with pre-printed messages - which seems a bit impersonal, but I suppose was better than nothing.
The name of the show, "My Fellow Soldiers," was taken from the beginning of a postwar letter from General Pershing to all the members of the American Expeditionary Force, recognizing their service.
Verdict: An interesting small show, easily managed in a lunch hour, depending on how long it takes you to get to the museum!
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