door The German Emperor Wilhelm II (referred to by some Dutchman as ‘our Kaiser’ who later fled to Doorn) was born in Berlin in 1859 and died in Doorn, the Netherlands, in 1941. He was the eldest grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
From 1888 to 1918, he reigned as Emperor of Germany. After Germany’s defeat in the First World War, Wilhelm was deposed and fled on 10 November 1918 from the German headquarters in Belgium to the Netherlands, where he abdicated the throne.
On 11 November 1907, Wilhelm arrived in Portsmouth, England, aboard the imperial yacht Hohenzollern, for a week-long state visit to the country.
On 15 November, the Emperor attended a dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor of London. At that time, Sir John Charles Bell (1843–1924) held the office of Lord Mayor, serving from November 1907 to November 1908.
The well-known German mineral water Apollinaris was discovered in the Eifel region in 1852 and has been marketed under the name Apollinaris since 1873. In 1897, the brand came into British ownership.
Pictured here is a one-penny English postcard, printed on the reverse with Apollinaris branding.
The company sent this postcard to the Dutch mineral water merchant Frans Fürster, Kruisstraat, ’s-Hertogenbosch.
The message on the card is of particular interest.
It refers to the dispatch of a copy of ‘The Daily Telegraph’ containing an interesting article on Kaiser Wilhelm II’s visit and the dinner in his honour, hosted by the Lord Mayor. It is mentioned with pride that Apollinaris water was also featured on the menu.
A fine example of advertising and marketing from 1907.
The post card will be on sale at René Hillesum Filatelie Auction on 23 August 2025.
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