Crossing the Berezina 16 November 1812 – Napoleon Russian Retreat – J. Lapina Paris Postcard No.375 c.1905

Original antique postcard depicting one of the most catastrophic episodes of the Napoleonic Wars: the crossing of the Berezina River on 16 November 1812, during Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from Moscow. The sweeping panoramic composition by Guesse captures the chaos of the Grande Armée’s desperate crossing — soldiers on horseback and on foot, artillery, wounded men, and civilians struggling across the frozen terrain under smoke-filled skies and the glow of burning villages on the horizon.

The reverse caption reads in French, German, and Russian: «GUESSE. Passage de la Bérezina. Uebergang der Berezina. Переходъ черезъ Березину, 16-го Ноября 1812 г.»

Published by J. Lapina, Imp. Edit. Paris, as card No.375 in the Winter Palace series (Palais d’hiver, Зимній Дворецъ СПБ). Printed in France, c.1905. The reverse is blank and unused, with a standard divided-back layout. Light age toning; front well-preserved. A visually powerful and historically significant postcard for any collector of Napoleonica or military history.