Art from the Trenches: America’s Uniformed Artists in World War I

Description

Since ancient times, wars have inspired artists and their patrons to commemorate victories. When the United States finally entered World War I, American artists and illustrators were commissioned to paint and draw it. These artists’ commissions, however, were as captains for their patron: the U.S. Army. The eight men—William J. Aylward, Walter J. Duncan, Harvey T. Dunn, George M. Harding, Wallace Morgan, Ernest C. Peixotto, J. Andre Smith, and Harry E. Townsent—arrived in France early in 1918 with the American Expeditionary forces (AEF). Alfred Emile Cornebise presents here the first comprehensive account of the U.S. Army art program in World War I. The AEF artists saw their role as one of preserving images of the entire aspect of American involvement in a way that photography could not. Unsure of what to do with these official artists, AEF leadership in France issues passes that allowed them relative freedom to move about, sketching as they went and finding supplies and lodgings where they could. But the bureaucratic confusion over the artists’ mission soon created controversy in Washington. The army brass there was dismayed at the slow trickle of art coming in and at some of the bucolic, behind-the-lines scenes, which held little promise as dramatic magazine illustrations or propaganda. The Armistice came only a matter of months after the American Artists arrived in France, and they marched into the Rhineland with the American occupation forces, sketching along the way. Soon returning to France the artists went into separate studios to finish their works, but the army hurriedly discharged them and they were civilian artists once more. The author conducted research for this book in the World War I army records in the National Archives, as well as the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, and others throughout the country. The sixty-six black-and-white pictures reproduced here are some of the approximately five hundred pieces of official AEF combat art, which shortly after the war were turned over to the Smithsonian Institution, where most of them remain. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Preface......Page 11 Acknowledgments......Page 13 Part I: Art and the Great War......Page 15 1. Introduction......Page 17 2. The Army's Official Artists......Page 25 3. The Daily Travail......Page 39 4. After the Armistice......Page 56 5. The Fruits of Their Labor......Page 71 Part II: The Artists' Images......Page 83 Water Front, Old Harbor, Marseilles......Page 84 Schooners in the Old Harbor, Marseilles......Page 85 Repairing a Damaged Ship......Page 86 First Division Headquarters Kitchen......Page 87 Troops Waiting to Advance at Hattonchâtel......Page 88 His Bunkie......Page 89 Refugees Returning to Their Homes......Page 90 Blacksmith and Wagon Repair Shed......Page 91 Awaiting a Call: French Auto Truck and Ambulances......Page 92 Barber Shop and First-Aid Station......Page 93 Baldwin Locomotives Unloaded as Shipped......Page 94 Cold Nights Coming On......Page 95 A Battery of French 75's Shelling the Germans......Page 96 Off Duty......Page 97 In the Front Line at Early Morning......Page 98 The Engineer......Page 99 The Machine Gunner......Page 100 No Mans Land......Page 101 The Harvest Moon......Page 102 The Flare......Page 103 The Hand Grenade......Page 104 Tanks at Seichprey [sic]......Page 105 Prisoners and Wounded......Page 106 Kamerad—The Sniper......Page 107 The Boche Looter......Page 108 Tanks Attacking Early Sept 26th......Page 109 Vanquished by the Boche Plane......Page 110 Verdun Offensive: Wounded Working Back to Aid Station......Page 111 First Aid Station with American Wounded......Page 112 American Gun Fire Early Morning Opening Verdun Offensive......Page 113 Verdun Offensive: American Troops Following Barrage......Page 114 In Pursuit of the Enemy......Page 115 To the Victor Belong the Spoils......Page 116 Morning Mess, Beaumont-Toul Sector......Page 117 A Cold Breakfast on the March......Page 118 American Artillery Relieved at Deumx......Page 119 Dugouts of the 5th Marines in Bois de Belleau......Page 120 Supply Trains on the Paris-Metz Road......Page 121 The Morning Washup7 Neufmaison......Page 122 Machine Gun Outfit Moving Forward near Esnes......Page 123 Engineers Building Roads......Page 124 Flirey......Page 125 Hoops Leaving Esnes......Page 126 No Man's Land, near Thiaucourt......Page 127 General Pershing Entering St Mihiel......Page 128 German Shelters near Varennes......Page 129 Main Square, Montabaur, Headquarters of the 1st Division......Page 130 Boppard on the Rhine in the American Sector......Page 131 First Americans Crossing the Rhine......Page 132 Chaumont American Headquarters......Page 133 A View of Neufchâteau......Page 134 A Gateway to the Front, Rambucourt......Page 135 Flirey......Page 136 Pathway to Peace......Page 137 On the Edge of Rambucourt......Page 138 Flying Field at Issoudun......Page 139 A Tank Surprises and Cleans Up......Page 140 A Six-Ton Camouflaged Tank......Page 141 The Light Tank in Action......Page 142 The Alert Nieuports......Page 143 A Forced Landing near Neufchâteau......Page 144 On the Gas Alert......Page 145 Soldiers of the Telephone......Page 146 Helping a Wounded Ally......Page 147 Infantryman......Page 148 Our Troops Entering Coblenz......Page 149 Notes......Page 150 Index......Page 167 BackCover......Page 174