BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Air and Space Museum -- Temporary Exhibit: Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War (in Gallery 211)

DC -- Natl Air and Space Museum -- Temporary Exhibit: Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War (in Gallery 211):

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Description of Pictures: Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War
April 6, 2017 – November 11, 2018
Artistic expression during the war contributed to this transformation. Before World War I, war art largely depicted heroic military leaders and romanticized battles, done long after the fact, far from the battlefield. The First World War marked a turning point with the appearance of artwork intended to capture the moment in a realistic way, by first-hand participants.
This exhibition examines this form of artistic expression from two complementary perspectives: one, professional artists who were recruited by the U.S. Army; the other, soldiers who created artwork. Together they shed light on World War I in a compelling and very human way.
A collaboration between the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of American History

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIAIAS_170408_003.JPG: Artist Soldiers Artistic Expression in the First World War
2. SIAIAS_170408_006.JPG: The First World War was characterized by mass mobilization of people and resources on a scale like none before. Millions of soldiers took to the battlefield, and the industrial output and civilian involvement in support of the war was unprecedented. The event not only remade the world geopolitically, but transformed how societies engage and relate to military conflict. Artistic expression during the war contributed to this transformation. Before World War I, war art largely depicted heroic military leaders and romanticized battles, done long after the fact, far from the battlefield. The First World War marked a turning point with the appearance of artwork intended to capture the moment in a realistic way, by first-hand participants. This exhibition examines this form of artistic expression from two complementary perspectives: one, professional artists who were recruited by the U.S. Army; the other, soldiers who created artwork. Together they shed light on World War I in a compelling and very human way.
3. SIAIAS_170408_012.JPG: The World Goes to War - 1914–1918 World War I, also known as the Great War, engaged all the great powers of Europe, and their worldwide colonial empires, including South Africa, German East Africa, French West Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, India, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, and Canada. The United States, Japan, and China also entered the conflict. More than 70 million military personnel were mobilized by all nations. The modern industrial capacity of the principal combatant countries fueled one of history's most destructive wars. The Allies and the Central Powers A complex set of long-standing pre-war alliances between the major powers of Europe brought country after country into the war after the heir to throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914, triggering an invasion of Serbia by Austria-Hungary. Within weeks the world was at war. Great Britain, France, and Russia -- the Allies -- joined forces against Austria-Hungary and Germany -- the Central Powers. The United States, Italy, and Japan joined the Allies. The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria entered the war on the side of the Central Powers.
4. SIAIAS_170408_017.JPG: Europe 1914 The old empires...
5. SIAIAS_170408_023.JPG: Europe 1923 ... become new countries
6. SIAIAS_170408_029.JPG: Middle East 1914
7. SIAIAS_170408_033.JPG: Middle East 1923
8. SIAIAS_170408_038.JPG: The End of Hostilities After four grueling years of stagnant trench warfare, characterized by many technological innovations that contributed to the brutal nature of the battlefield, an armistice ended hostilities on November 11, 1918. The peace settlement negotiated in Versailles, France, imposed harsh terms on the Central Powers, dismantling their empires into many newly created nations, and requiring them to pay crippling reparations to the Allies. German humiliation and bitterness over the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in part contributed to the rise of Nazism and World War II twenty years later. World War I dramatically refashioned the map of Europe and the Middle East, laying the foundation for later conflicts, including World War II, the Cold War, and recent clashes in the Middle East. The First World War spawned numerous revolutions, the most significant in Russia in 1917, leading to the creation of the Soviet Union.
9. SIAIAS_170408_042.JPG: America Enters the War President Woodrow Wilson pledged to keep America out of the war. But his stance of non-intervention was severely tested on May 7, 1915, when a German submarine sank the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania. Of the 139 Americans on board, 128 perished. Germany had declared the seas around the United Kingdom a war zone, and felt justified in attacking ships believed to be bringing supplies to support the Allied war effort. The Lusitania was indeed carrying munitions, although the British denied this at the time. Wilson demanded an end to attacks on neutral passenger ships, and the Germans complied for a time, only targeting ships that were clearly British. But in January 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic shipping lanes. This action, and the American response of outrage to the discovery of the Zimmermann Telegram, a secret communication from Germany to Mexico proposing a military alliance, prompted President Wilson to reverse his 1916 re-election campaign promise to keep the country out of the conflict. The United States entered the war on April 6, 1917, with troops arriving in Europe in early 1918. The infusion of fresh American forces helped carry the war-weary Allies to victory.
10. SIAIAS_170408_050.JPG: The AEF Art Program Mobilization of the American war effort was an immense undertaking. Decisions about everything from how to form fighting units, to manufacturing the needed equipment, to the logistics of transport and supply had to be addressed. Part of this planning was the decision to send artists to cover the war in Europe. Eight professional illustrators, commissioned as U.S. Army officers, were embedded with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in France in early 1918. Their mission was to capture the wide-ranging activities of American soldiers, including combat, with the intent of shaping popular understanding at home of the war experiences of the AEF. As captains in the Engineer Reserve Corps of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the artists were given credentials, authorized by both American and French commands, to move about with considerable latitude and paint or sketch whatever they saw. Their collective output captured a rich and compelling "in-the-moment" view of the First World War. The AEF Art Collection During the nine months the AEF artists roamed the battlefields and rear areas in France and surrounding areas they produced more than 700 sketches, drawings, and paintings depicting combat, military technology, daily life, and the human cost of war. Just after the war, in December 1918, about 200 of the works were briefly exhibited in New York City. Approximately 500 were transferred from the War Department to the Smithsonian Institution in several shipments during 1919 and 1920. That entire collection was displayed at the Smithsonian in the 1920s as part of a World War Historical Collection exhibition, which included a host of other war relics. Selected works have been exhibited on a few other occasions, but the collection has been largely unseen since the postwar decade.
11. SIAIAS_170408_054.JPG: The AEF Artists The eight artists selected for the AEF art program were all established illustrators and painters before their military assignment, and had accomplished art careers after the war. They were selected by a committee chaired by Charles Dana Gibson, an illustrator who had gained fame as the creator of the popular "Gibson Girl" idealized image of feminine beauty. Gibson's Pictorial Publicity Committee was under the broader wartime Committee on Public Information, established to coordinate propaganda for the war effort.
12. SIAIAS_170408_057.JPG: J. André Smith (1880–1950) Smith graduated from Cornell University in architecture, but preferred to make etchings, for which he attained a national reputation. Unlike the other official artists, Smith actually received officer's training and served with a camouflage unit before becoming a war artist. As the group's senior officer, he became its commander. A rapid, accurate worker, Smith also became the group's most prolific artist. After the war he published In France with the American Expeditionary Forces, which led to a successful career as freelance illustrator and painter. In 1938 he opened a studio and art school in Maitland, Florida, still operating today as the Maitland Art Center.
13. SIAIAS_170408_061.JPG: William James Aylward (1875–1956) Aylward grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, around ships and docks that became the center of his painting. He studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Students League in New York City, and later under Howard Pyle, considered the father of American illustration. Aylward traveled extensively and spent several years in France, painting and studying privately, all the time pursuing a highly successful career as a book, magazine, and advertising illustrator. He was best known for nautical themes. As a war artistic he concentrated on logistics, especially French ports. After the war Aylward resumed his career as an illustrator, and also taught at several art schools.
14. SIAIAS_170408_067.JPG: George Matthews Harding (1882–1959) Harding studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Art and later under the distinguished illustrator-teacher Howard Pyle. As a war artist, he was particularly intrigued by the new technologies of war, frequently depicting guns, airplanes, tanks, trucks, and motorcycles. In 1919 Harding published a lavish portfolio of his war art, The American Expeditionary Forces in Action. He taught illustration at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts until 1958, interrupted during World War II by another stint as a war artist, the only AEF artist to serve in both world wars.
15. SIAIAS_170408_075.JPG: Wallace Morgan (1873–1948) Morgan studied at the National Academy of Design in New York. He supported himself in school as a part-time sketch artist for the New York Sun, later working for popular magazines such as Collier's, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, and the Saturday Evening Post. He developed considerable skill in rendering a variety of subjects in ready-to-print form without preliminary sketches. During his year in France, Morgan attached himself to the Marine Brigade, which he followed into the battles at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood. Considered one of the best artists in black and white of his time, Morgan was elected to the National Academy of Design and the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame.
16. SIAIAS_170408_087.JPG: Harry Everett Townsend (1879–1941) After study at Chicago's Art Institute, then with Howard Pyle, finally in Europe, Townsend settled in New York to become a much-in-demand illustrator. Returning to Europe in 1912, he worked for a London magazine while residing in France. The 1914 outbreak of war brought Townsend home, first to draw war posters, then to become a war artist. Much of his war art centered on new technologies like airplanes and tanks. An accredited artist at the post-Armistice peace conference, he also taught at the AEF's Art Training Center in Paris before coming home. Townsend built a studio in Norwalk, Conn., where he worked for the rest of his life.
17. SIAIAS_170408_090.JPG: Ernest Clifford Peixotto (1869–1940) Peixotto trained at the Fine Arts at the Mark Hopkins Institute in San Francisco, before arriving in France in 1888 for three more years of study. Remaining in France until 1914, he painted the French countryside and its inhabitants, and wrote and illustrated several travel books. As a war artist, he mainly depicted French landscapes ravaged by war. After the Armistice, Peixotto headed the Art Training Center in Paris, part of the AEF's extensive educational program for American soldiers remaining in Europe during the postwar occupation of Germany. He returned to the United States in 1923 as director of the mural department at the Beaux Arts Institute of Design in New York.
18. SIAIAS_170408_093.JPG: Harvey Thomas Dunn (1884–1952) Dunn studied first at the Art Institute of Chicago, then with Howard Pyle. He became a successful teacher as well as illustrator of magazines, books, and advertising. In the war, Dunn established a reputation as a bold, even foolhardy, combat artist very much focused on frontline action. Dunn continued painting pictures based on his war experience for many years. In 1919 he opened a studio and art school in New Jersey, where he taught hundreds of students and was a major influence on the next generation of illustrators. He was elected to the National Academy of Design and to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.
19. SIAIAS_170408_099.JPG: Walter Jack Duncan (1881–1941) After graduating high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, Duncan studied art at the Art Students League in New York City, considered the best art school in America at that time. He established himself as a book and magazine illustrator, especially adept at pen and ink drawing. Duncan's war art focused on men in rear areas keeping the army supplied. At war's end, he took a studio in Paris and worked on drawings and lithographs. He returned to the United States in June 1919 and resumed working for magazines and illustrating books, and also taught at the Art Students League.
20. SIAIAS_170408_105.JPG: The Battlefield The AEF artists had great freedom to travel about, affording them broad access to events, including combat. Although devoid of the more shocking realities of war that photography captured, their depictions of the battlefield powerfully convey a sense of immediacy and on-the-spot observation. Their art provides a window on their role as both recorders of history and as first-hand participants in that history. Most of the AEF artists were trained and worked as professional illustrators before the war. Their approach placed the viewer on the scene in ways not common in earlier war art.
21. SIAIAS_170408_108.JPG: Over the Top J. André Smith Charcoal on paper, 1918 The phrase "going over the top," among the most famous from World War I, referred to climbing out of the protective trenches to attack the enemy across open ground. This area between the opposing trenches was referred to as "no man's land" because it was pummeled by artillery bombardment and swept by machine gun fire.
22. SIAIAS_170408_121.JPG: Between Le Charmel and Jaulgonne Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor and pastel on paper, 1918
23. SIAIAS_170408_125.JPG: The Sentry Harvey Thomas Dunn Oil on canvas, 1918
24. SIAIAS_170408_133.JPG: Infantryman Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
25. SIAIAS_170408_142.JPG: Musette Bag: The musette bag was a light alternative to a full pack used to carry small equipment or personal items. This one has been hand decorated with the emblem of the AEF, a winged propeller, and a fleur-de-lis.
26. SIAIAS_170408_145.JPG: Tools of Trench Warfare: The signature aspect of the First World War in Europe was the protracted stalemate of trench warfare. After a brief period of mobility over the battlefield in the first months of the conflict, the opposing armies settled into a long and deadly war of attrition. Thousands of miles of elaborate trenches, shrouded in barbed wire, defined the front lines that moved little during the years of fighting. The devastated landscape between the opposing trenches was referred to as "no man's land" because of the constant artillery shelling and machine gun fire. Certain pieces of equipment were ubiquitous in and around the trenches.
27. SIAIAS_170408_150.JPG: Entrenching Tool: Originating in Roman times, the modern entrenching tool, or small spade, emerged in World War I. Primarily used for building a defensive perimeter and clearing the trenches from debris, entrenching tools were also used to dig latrines and graves. When engaging the enemy in close quarters, they were sometimes used as a weapon. Some soldiers sharpened the edges of the blade for this purpose.
28. SIAIAS_170408_152.JPG: Trench Knife: The trench knife was designed in response to the need for an effective close combat weapon for assaults on enemy trenches. In addition to the lethal affect of the long blade, its studded, heavy metal hand guard could produce a devastating blow. Wire Cutters: With barbed wire lining the thousands of miles of trenches that comprised the battlefield, wire cutters were an essential tool for installing and getting through the simple, but effective barrier. Barbed Wire: Barbed wire served as a defensive barrier to slow advancing enemy troops as they attempted to cross no man's land and storm the opposing army's trenches.
29. SIAIAS_170408_157.JPG: Periscope: Periscopes were used to observe activity across no man's land without having to be exposed directly to enemy fire.
30. SIAIAS_170408_164.JPG: Machine Gun Emplacement Harvey Thomas Dunn Oil on canvas, 1918
31. SIAIAS_170408_172.JPG: Bayonet: Bayonet fitted to the Springfield M1903 rifle carried y AEF infantry.
32. SIAIAS_170408_176.JPG: Hand Grenade: British Mills bomb, frequently used by the AEF
33. SIAIAS_170408_179.JPG: U.S. Army Air Service Flare Gun: Flare guns were used to signal the location of troops, typically when in distress and in need of assistance.
34. SIAIAS_170408_182.JPG: The Road to Essey J. André Smith Charcoal on paper, 1918
35. SIAIAS_170408_189.JPG: The Hand Grenade Harvey Thomas Dunn Charcoal and pastel on paper, 1918
36. SIAIAS_170408_198.JPG: The Flare Harvey Thomas Dunn Charcoal, pencil, and pastel on paper, 1918
37. SIAIAS_170408_206.JPG: Battle of Marne Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor and pastel on paper, 1918
38. SIAIAS_170408_214.JPG: A Mined Road Near Buzancy J. André Smith Charcoal on paper, 1918
39. SIAIAS_170408_221.JPG: Street Fighting Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor, charcoal, pastel on paper, 1918
40. SIAIAS_170408_234.JPG: The Engineer Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor and charcoal on paper, 1918
41. SIAIAS_170408_241.JPG: At the Camouflage Factory in Dijon J. André Smith Watercolor, charcoal, and pastel on paper, June 1918
42. SIAIAS_170408_249.JPG: New Arrived Troops Debarking at Brest Walter Jack Duncan Pen and ink wash, and charcoal on paper, July 22, 1918 The first wartime experience for all AEF troops was the transport to Europe. Their experience "Over There" began with their arrival in France.
43. SIAIAS_170408_259.JPG: Harvey Dunn Sketch Box Dunn used this sketch box of his own design during his nine months with the AEF in France in 1918.
44. SIAIAS_170408_267.JPG: American Troops Supply Train William James Aylward Oil and gouache on paper, 1918
45. SIAIAS_170408_279.JPG: The Docks at Brest Walter Jack Duncan Pen and ink wash on paper, July 21, 1918
46. SIAIAS_170408_283.JPG: Tressing Nets for Artillery Emplacements Ernest Clifford Peixotto Pen and ink wash, and charcoal on paper, 1918
47. SIAIAS_170408_288.JPG: Unloading Ship at Bassen Docks William James Aylward Charcoal and gouache on paper, 1919
48. SIAIAS_170408_299.JPG: Roadside Repair Station, Chateau Thierry Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
49. SIAIAS_170408_306.JPG: Engineers Go to War: Although the assignment of the eight AEF artists to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was purely a formality, they found the many and varied activities of this branch of the AEF interesting subject matter. The industrial scale of the military effort demanded an enormous technical and logistical presence. Tens of thousands of men served loading, unloading, stockpiling, moving, and maintaining the tons of war materiel sent to France in support of the combat troops.
50. SIAIAS_170408_310.JPG: Life at the Front: The AEF artists were embedded with the troops to capture the full experience of those serving in Europe, not only what transpired on the battlefield. Beyond combat scenes and the ravages of war, their work also depicted mundane everyday chores, feeding the troops, personal time, and entertainment -- subjects very different from traditional war art that focused on heroic figures and gallantry on the field of battle. These works contributed to a more complete and realistic view of the war experience.
51. SIAIAS_170408_313.JPG: The Morning Washup, Neufmaison Wallace Morgan Charcoal on paper, 1918
52. SIAIAS_170408_320.JPG: Band Concert at Neufchateau J. André Smith Watercolor and charcoal on paper, 1918
53. SIAIAS_170408_335.JPG: First Division Headquarters Kitchen, St. Mihiel Drive William James Aylward Charcoal and gouache on card, 1918
54. SIAIAS_170408_342.JPG: Fokker D.VII Peter Endsleigh Castle Watercolor, gouache, and ink on board, 1965 Lent by John Hallmark Neff, The Audubons of Aviation Collection
55. SIAIAS_170408_348.JPG: P.E. Castle Original Artwork: These original Castle paintings, from Aircraft in Profile, are among his best. The works reveal deft handling of color, texture, light, and shadow in the difficult medium of watercolor. Generations of aviation enthusiasts have meticulously studied and enjoyed Castle's illustrations but few have had the chance to see the originals. While "illustration" may not command respect in some art appreciation circles, the paintings of P.E. Castle are impressive works of art by any standard.
56. SIAIAS_170408_353.JPG: Who Was Peter Endsleigh Castle? Aviation historians, aircraft enthusiasts, modelers, and others fascinated by airplanes may not know his name, but many have spent countless hours poring over his work. Peter Endsleigh Castle (1918-2008) was the leading aviation illustrator in the 1960s and 1970s. His highly accurate and artistically rendered aircraft studies appeared in numerous books and magazines with a look and style that made them instantly recognizable. Castle began his art career as a teenager in his native London, apprenticing in the art department of the Evening Standard newspaper in the 1930s. During WWII, Castle served in the Air Intelligence branch of Britain's Air Ministry, illustrating enemy aircraft for recognition training. He continued with Air Intellgence for a few years after the war, then launched a freelance career in commercial and advertising art in 1950, with an emphasis on aviation.
57. SIAIAS_170408_355.JPG: Aircraft in Profile: P.E. Castle's best known work appeared in the classic series of historical aviation booklets, Aircraft in Profile, which began in 1964. he produced more than 500 studies for the series, featuring his striking color "five-views". Castle worked in watercolor, gouache, and ink on board, a challenging medium with which it was difficult to correct mistakes. Another measure of his artistic skill, Castle painted all five views on a single board, adding to the risk if a mistake was made in any one view.
58. SIAIAS_170408_357.JPG: Fokker D.VIII: Peter Endsleigh Castle Watercolor, gouache, and ink on board, 1966 Lent by John Hallmark Neff, The Audubons of Aviation Collection
59. SIAIAS_170408_366.JPG: Camouflaged Barracks for Colored Troops, Airing the Bedding on Sunday Ernest Clifford Peixotto Pen and ink wash on paper, 1918
60. SIAIAS_170408_377.JPG: A Regiment Stops for Mess J. André Smith Watercolor, charcoal, and pencil on paper, June 1918
61. SIAIAS_170408_384.JPG: Off Duty Harvey Thomas Dunn Oil and watercolor on paper, 1918
62. SIAIAS_170408_389.JPG: Returning Refugees Hattonchatel William James Aylward Charcoal and gouache on paper, 1918
63. SIAIAS_170408_400.JPG: Barber Shop and First Aid Station of the Red Cross at Essey Walter Jack Duncan Pen and ink wash, and graphite on paper, July 17, 1918
64. SIAIAS_170408_410.JPG: A Cell in the Monastery at Rangeval J. André Smith Watercolor and charcoal on paper, May 1918
65. SIAIAS_170408_415.JPG: Sept. 26, The Argonne Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor and charcoal on paper, 1918
66. SIAIAS_170408_427.JPG: The Road between Jaulgonne and Mont St. Père Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor, charcoal, and pastel on paper, 1918
67. SIAIAS_170408_436.JPG: Hand painted US Army Air Service helmet, decorated with the insignia of the 135th Aero Squadron
68. SIAIAS_170408_438.JPG: Miniature biplane model made from bullet with shell casing base
69. SIAIAS_170408_446.JPG: Letter openers made from French, German, and American bullets. Charm bracelet featuring miniature Croix de Guerre medals and city crests from Reims, Nancy, Verdun, and Maubeuge.
70. SIAIAS_170408_448.JPG: H. Eisele, a German prisoner of war in an American camp, engraved these mess kits. One with a Prussian eagle with his name inscribed. The other with an American eagle, inscribed to John W. Goodsell, a doctor in the medical corps of the AEF.
71. SIAIAS_170408_450.JPG: Trench Art: War souvenirs are as old as warfare itself. Be they trophies of victory on personal keepsakes of combat experiences, soldiers have always saved material evidence of their wartime service. Some, if they had the skills, turned the materials of war into art. The tradition of artistically handcrafting war souvenirs goes back to ancient times, but the practice flourished during the First World War. The abundance of items created by soldiers in World War I and in the years immediately after gave rise to the term "trench art." Over time, the term has become generalized to refer to art made from ordnance or military equipment from any era. Some trench art was actually made in the trenches. Other examples were made by soldiers convalescing in hospitals, or shortly after the war before they went home. The pieces were made as personal souvenirs, for family, or sold to other soldiers to earn money. Local civilians and laborers supporting the armies also crafted items from war debris they collected.
72. SIAIAS_170408_458.JPG: Artillery shells made into decorative pieces
73. SIAIAS_170408_464.JPG: Toy table and cups made from shell casing and bullets
74. SIAIAS_170408_468.JPG: Vase made from artillery shell
75. SIAIAS_170408_472.JPG: The Technology of World War I: Military technology has always shaped and defined how wars were fought. The First World War, however, saw a breadth and scale of technological innovation of unprecedented impact. It was the first modern mechanized industrial war in which material resources and manufacturing capability were as consequential as the skill of the troops on the battlefield. Heavy artillery, machine guns, tanks, motorized transport vehicles, high explosives, chemical weapons, airplanes, field radios and telephones, aerial reconnaissance cameras, and rapidly advancing medical technology and science were just a few of the areas that reshaped twentieth century warfare. The AEF artists documented the new military technology as thoroughly as every other aspect of the war. After three years on the sidelines, the United States lagged far behind the latest technology and faced a monumental task equipping hundreds of thousands of new soldiers. U.S. industry was just beginning to gear up for this challenge when the AEF arrived in France. American troops frequently used European produced equipment, as is evident in much of the AEF artwork.
76. SIAIAS_170408_474.JPG: Harlequin Freighters J. André Smith Watercolor and charcoal, July 1918
77. SIAIAS_170408_477.JPG: Left by the Hun, 152 mm Mortar Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on card, 1918
78. SIAIAS_170408_488.JPG: Soldiers of the Telephone Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
79. SIAIAS_170408_496.JPG: Gas Alert Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
80. SIAIAS_170408_508.JPG: American Artillery and Machine Guns George Matthews Harding Charcoal and crayon on paper, July 24, 1918
81. SIAIAS_170408_515.JPG: Forced Landing Near Neufchateau Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
82. SIAIAS_170408_528.JPG: The Flying Field, Issoudun Ernest Clifford Peixotto Charcoal on board, August 1918
83. SIAIAS_170408_533.JPG: 94th Aero Squadron "Hat-in-the-Ring" Insignia America's first combat squadron was the 94th. Its famous "Hat-in-the Ring" insignia reflected the phrase used in April 1917 when the United States entered the war and was said to have now "thrown its hat in the ring." This example came from the aircraft of Harvey Weir Cook, who shot down 3 enemy aircraft and four observation balloons. The victories are represented with iron crosses inside the brim of the hat.
84. SIAIAS_170408_540.JPG: The Alert Nieuports Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
85. SIAIAS_170408_544.JPG: Valley of the Marne at Mont St. Père George Harding Matthews Charcoal, pastel, and sanguine on paper, July 26, 1918
86. SIAIAS_170408_559.JPG: Lame Ducks, Issoudun J. André Smith Pencil on paper, 1918
87. SIAIAS_170408_563.JPG: Lame Ducks, Issoudun J. André Smith Pencil on paper, 1918
88. SIAIAS_170408_572.JPG: Double Escape Harry Everett Townsend Oil on canvas, 1918
89. SIAIAS_170408_582.JPG: Brush and comb case depicting airplanes guarding Paris
90. SIAIAS_170408_586.JPG: Embroidery Under Fire: With male family members at the battlefront, wounded, or killed, French peasant women used their needlework skills to maintain their livelihoods and rebuilt their war-torn communities. Thousands of American women volunteers in France, especially those associated with the American Committee for a Devastated France, sponsored them. Household items they embroidered were sold in America through the Society for Employment of Women, a war relief organization in France. All the proceeds went back to the women and their families. Living and working close to the front, often they took shelter in cellars and underground quarries during shelling of their villages.
91. SIAIAS_170408_590.JPG: World War I Belgian war lace with American eagle
92. SIAIAS_170408_592.JPG: Belgian War Lace: After Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914, a British blockade to prevent supplies reaching Germany also isolated the Belgian people. The Commission for Belgian Relief (CRB), chaired by future US President Herbert Hoover, negotiated delivery of food and goods to civilians living there. Among the items was thread to Belgian lace makers. The CRB managed sales and deliveries of Belgian war lace to people in the Allied countries wishing to support the Belgian population.
93. SIAIAS_170408_608.JPG: AEF Field Telephone: Instant communication on the battlefield was critical to directly artillery and coordinating troop movements and attacks. The field telephone was as important as any weapon.
94. SIAIAS_170408_612.JPG: Gas Mask: Among the most insidious and feared weapons of World War I was mustard gas. Contact with this chemical agent, so named because its odor resembled mustard, severely burned and blistered the skin, lungs, and eyes of its victims. The most effective protection from mustard gas attack was the gas mask to avoid breathing it in and contact with the eyes.
95. SIAIAS_170408_615.JPG: The Human Cost: The AEF artists attempted to capture as full a picture of the war as possible. That of course included the human cost of the conflict, for both military personnel and civilians. During World War I, the battlefield cut through villages and homes and displaced local people to an unprecedented extent. The artists covered the war's occupation and destruction of towns and villages, and the refugees that created. The taking of prisoners and the wounds of war were other frequent subjects. Although the full reality of the suffering and human loss did not appear in their art, they did attempt to leave a record of the care given the wounded and the memory of the lost.
96. SIAIAS_170408_617.JPG: Dressing Station in Ruined Farm Wallace Morgan Watercolor and charcoal on paper, July 19, 1918
97. SIAIAS_170408_625.JPG: His Bunkie William James Aylward Charcoal, crayon, and gouache on card, 1918
98. SIAIAS_170408_632.JPG: Going into Position through a Ruined Town Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor, charcoal, and pastel on paper, 1918
99. SIAIAS_170408_641.JPG: Relief Entering Nesle, Detachment 4th Infantry William James Aylward Charcoal, crayon, gouache on paper, 1918
100. SIAIAS_170408_644.JPG: On the Wire Harvey Thomas Dunn Oil on canvas, 1918
101. SIAIAS_170408_650.JPG: Wheelchair: This wheelchair was used during World War I, a symbol of the impact of war on individuals. Millions were involved and affected by the First World War, each with a unique story.
102. SIAIAS_170408_657.JPG: The Prisoner Harvey Thomas Dunn Oil on canvas, 1918
103. SIAIAS_170408_665.JPG: Afternoon Concert in the Courtyard at Hospital at Langres Ernest Clifford Peixotto Pencil on paper, 1918
104. SIAIAS_170408_674.JPG: Refugees from Chateau Thierry Section Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
105. SIAIAS_170408_679.JPG: Prisoners and Wounded Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor, charcoal, and pastel on paper, October 1918
106. SIAIAS_170408_685.JPG: The Hurry Call, Night of May 20, 1918 Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, May 1918
107. SIAIAS_170408_691.JPG: Walking Cases, Wounded Men Resting on Their Way Back from Firing Line Harvey Thomas Dunn Watercolor, charcoal, and pastel on paper, 1918
108. SIAIAS_170408_705.JPG: Helping a Wounded Ally Harry Everett Townsend Charcoal on paper, 1918
109. SIAIAS_170408_713.JPG: Self-Expression in the Trenches The grinding, mechanized nature of the first global war, involving millions of infantry combatants, has tended to render the soldiers of World War I as faceless masses rather than individual participants. It is easy to forget that the war was fought by individuals, each with their own unique story. Recently, an avenue to recover a sense of the individuals who fought this war has been brought to light. Hidden away for a century in the underground quarters that was the sanctuary for the World War I trench warrior are a vast number of stone carvings left by soldiers, on all sides, that provide a glimpse into the humanity of the people who fought in this great and world-changing conflict. These soldier artworks reveal a means of expressing individuality in the midst of chaotic world events engulfing millions, and an avenue for releasing tension in a stress-ridden war environment. Formerly stone quarries that for centuries supplied the material for cathedrals, castles, monuments, and other structures, these spaces sheltered soldiers as they lived through many hours of tedium between episodes of shelling and combat. For many, the walls of these old quarries became a venue for individual self-expression. With hammer and chisel, they left their meaningful and moving marks, ranging from the simple and unskilled to extraordinary artistic renderings. A Hidden World Revealed The existence of what the soldiers left behind has largely disappeared from public knowledge, as many of these underground spaces are on privately held lands. But a few years ago, a door to this passageway back through time was knocked ajar by an intrepid photographer, Jeff Gusky. Gusky learned of the underground World War I stone carvings through friends and acquaintances in France, and cultivated relationships with the property owners who control access to these long abandoned underground soldiers' refuges of the First World War. Over a period of several years Gusky has made numerous excursions into this forgotten underground world and documented the stone carvings of the soldiers with high-end art photography. The results are not only a remarkable heretofore lost record of the individual expression of World War I soldiers, but a powerful and prodigious body of photographic artwork. Gusky's images are a fascinating historical document as well as a moving aesthetic experience. Art photography by Jeff Gusky
110. SIAIAS_170408_725.JPG: Underground Cities: After the first few months of the war, a relatively mobile conflict settled into the now infamous trench warfare experience so powerfully identified with World War I. Integrated with the trench system were other underground spaces soldiers inhabited for extended periods. These caves, the result of centuries of stone quarrying, were mini cities beneath the surface. They were wired for electric lighting and communications equipment, and had other infrastructure for long-term occupancy. Beyond basic beds and furniture, the spaces had command centers, post offices, altars for religious services, even small theaters the soldiers used to create their own entertainment.
111. SIAIAS_170408_726.JPG: Photograph by Jeff Gusky
112. SIAIAS_170408_733.JPG: Mocking caricature of Kaiser Wilhelm II, German Emperor during World War I. The inscription above reads: "God strike the Kaiser."
113. SIAIAS_170408_739.JPG: Soldiers Leave Their Mark: As the war dragged on month after month, year after year, soldiers faced countless hours of idle time in the underground shelters that were their protection from the battle occurring above. They produced carvings on a variety of subject matter into the soft limestone. Among the most common were recognition of their units and expressions of patriotism.
114. SIAIAS_170408_743.JPG: This German carving was made by tunnel miners as a morale booster for soldiers passing through the tunnel to the trenches. It translates as "God Strike England." "Good Luck." The German phrase "Glück auf" is actually uniquely an expression miners use for good luck. The more common German phrase is Viel Glück.
115. SIAIAS_170408_755.JPG: Many artifacts of the soldiers' life underground remain. Preservation is of the highest importance to the private landowners on whose property these sites are located. They work collectively to document and protect these historic spaces.
116. SIAIAS_170408_759.JPG: Georges Clemenceau, French Prime Minister during World War I
117. SIAIAS_170408_761.JPG: Self-portrait of PFC Archie Sweetman. The signature "Sweetman of South Boston" in pencil still remains. Sweetman, of Company E, 101st Infantry Regiment, in the famed 26th "Yankee Division," spent six weeks underground in February/March 1918. After the war he became a successful artist. He graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston in 1993 at age 98.
118. SIAIAS_170408_768.JPG: Paul von Hindenburg, Chief of the German General Staff from August 1916 to the end of the war.
119. SIAIAS_170408_769.JPG: Portraits: Portraits were another typical subject matter of the soldiers' carvings, and were among the most artistically rendered. They ranged from famous figures to self-portraits to caricature.
120. SIAIAS_170408_779.JPG: What at first appears to be a vandalized carving is actually a purposely rendered half face. Still powerfully symbolic for the French today, the half face represents not only the physical scars so many soldiers were left with, but also the psychological scars of the war on French society in the post-war period.
121. SIAIAS_170408_787.JPG: Lessons: What do the Artist Soldiers of WWI Teach Us? The First World War was a profound turning point in history. The world of 1914 was a very different place from the one that emerged after four years of relentless global war involving millions of combatants and imposing hardship on countless civilians, from those whose towns and villages were on the front lines, to those distant from the battlefield. Although the events of 1914-1918 have been overshadowed in the minds of most by World War II, the Cold War, and current conflicts, the pervasive and long-term influence of World War I still reverberates today. We see World War I in our modern-day geopolitics, our complex technological approach to warfare, and our cultural engagement with international conflict and diplomacy. At the foundation of these world-changing events and altered cultural sensibilities were the individuals who fought and experienced the war. The collective national experiences of each combatant country that still resonate today were built upon millions of unique personal stories. The artworks in this exhibition are a revealing window and moving reminder of the individual humanity that underlies all great historical events. The artist soldiers of World War I speak to us in a direct and timeless way.
122. SIAIAS_170408_790.JPG: Artist's Statement Jeff Gusky
123. SIAIAS_170408_797.JPG: Respite From War: Even in the midst of the hardship and suffering of war, soldiers have always sought respite from battle through reminiscence of loved ones at home, following sports teams, thoughts of female companionship, humor, and comfort from those caring for their wounds. These efforts to take personal and psychological refuge from war found broad expression in the stone carvings left by soldiers on all sides.
124. SIAIAS_170408_806.JPG: Immediately to the right of the altar in this elaborate chapel are stairs leading up to the trenches. Soldiers passed by this place of prayer and reflection as they ascended into battle.
125. SIAIAS_170408_814.JPG: Reproduction Stone Carving: Plaster reproduction of one of the stone carvings in the underground cities.
126. SIAIAS_170408_819.JPG: This elaborate carving documents the sinking of the French ship, Liberte, in 1917. The translated inscriptions read: "La Liberte leaving the world" "Sun of my youth" "Disasters of the 20th Century" The work speaks to this soldier's grasp of the enormity and far-reaching impact of loss during the war.
127. SIAIAS_170408_823.JPG: A skull wearing the goggles of a gas mask looks at us hauntingly from the past.
128. SIAIAS_170408_825.JPG: "Les Desastres du XX Siecle" (Disasters of the 20th Century) When the soldiers of Europe marched off to war in the late summer of 1914, most expected an adventure that would last mere weeks or months. By the end, in November 1918, millions had been consumed by four years of grinding, mechanized warfare. Casualties, military and civilian, numbered nearly 38 million -- more than 17 million dead and 20 million wounded. The psychological and emotional toll was incalculable. Some of the stone carvings capture the enormity of the catastrophe.
129. SIAIAS_170408_839.JPG: "To One I Fondly Love" Love poem engraved on a mess kit plate by an American soldier from Boston, 1918.
130. SIAIAS_170408_847.JPG: Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War
131. SIAIAS_170408_857.JPG: Visit Other Exhibits About World War I... [Note that it doesn't mention the other Smithsonian one at the National Postal Museum.]
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
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