WWI Trench Art Collection
Caumont Luisi
Who were the artists?
They could have been enlisted men (mostly peasants from 1914 rural France), blacksmiths (present in most villages), metal workers, mechanics, and even jewelers; all could have contributed to these creations. There is therefore a broad range of designs, depending on the individual artists.
This activities would take place in the rear trenches (the hammering noise would have been far too dangerous in the forward trenches close to enemy lines). It became a good antidote to boredom and homesickness for the soldiers. Soon workshops and rehab renters would harbor this lively activity. POWs could barter these artifacts for food and other goods.
A cottage industry?
Production included smoking apparel (lighters, ashtrays, match-boxes, etc.), writing implements (pencil holders, ink stands, paper weight, etc.), picture frames, miniatures airplanes, submarines, and tanks.
Shells commemorated a date, a place, or a battle. They could be dedicated to parents or sweethearts. Very few are signed as shells were the property of the army and meant to be recycled and reused.
In France pairs of vases would adorn mantelpieces and would be polished often. Tarnished shells would be viewed as a sign of neglect and the absent soldier.
And after the war?
Trench Art grew as a cottage industry. It provided occupation to the families of the fallen and to soldiers in Units waiting to be sent home.
It played an important role for the rebirth of some local economies. In the US, ammunition surpluses were turned into commemorative items.As time went by, these items lost their sentimental value, would no longer be used as decorative objects and stashed in attics, garages, and barns. Nowadays their historical value is increasingly recognized. They provide a vivid link to our past and make it less abstract
113 - RHEIMS CATHEDRAL
Front facade highly detailed with acid-etched technique all around the body.
18 Pdr, H.11,5" resting on three bullets
