Photography in WWI

World War One was the first war that could be photographed while it occurred. The American Civil War could not be photographed in this way. Cameras simply were not advanced enough to handle that kind of photography. Previous war documentation via photograph was done in the form of pictures of posed soldiers or the aftermath of a battle and its dead, but WWI was different.

Cameras had improved to the point where you could take action photographs and carry a camera with you without too much trouble. Photographers were not always able to get right up close to take pictures, sometimes it was just too dangerous. Even so this allowed them to get photos that they otherwise would not be able to get.

Soldiers took pictures too. They used the the Vest Pocket Kodak camera which they could take snapshots with. The 'VPK' as it was called was introduced in 1912. 

Just like artists, there were both freelance photographers and special military and government photographers. An important job photographers played in the War was Arial photography. Photographers flew with a pilot over an enemy position and took pictures of the entrenchments and other fortifications. This practice greatly aided in map making.  

    

Art During WW1

Art came in several forms during WWI. There was painted art and there was 3D art. Propaganda posters were all painted or drawn and so were pictures of the war that were in newspapers.

Painting and drawings of the war were done by artists who just wanted to use the war as the subject of their paintings and by artists who were hired by different governments to illustrate the war for the public. Trench warfare was a popular theme for painters due to its violent nature. Many of these paintings showed the dead soldiers or the infantry as they charged from their trench. Gas attacks and their victims were also painted as in “Gassed” by John Singer Sargent.

"Gassed"

Other forms of art during WWI included shell casing ashtrays, helmet lamps, and shell casing vases. Soldiers also etched designs into mess kits and helmets. Handkerchiefs were embroidered with all sorts of depictions of flags and battles. They were popular for soldiers to send home to family and loved ones.

shell casing vases

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

shell casing ash tray with match box holder

The Defence of Sanctuary Wood by Kenneth Forbes

 

sketch attributed to Otto Dix

    

Cher Ami the Carrier Pigeon

Cher Ami while alive

Carrier pigeons served as a speedy way of delivering urgent messages in WWI. They were hard to shoot down due to their speed, and there was an abundant supply of them. The carrier pigeon was so vital that over 100,000 of them were used in the war with a success rate of 95%.

One of the most famous animals in WWI was a carrier pigeon named Cher Ami. Cher Ami was given to the american signal corp in France by the pigeon fanciers of Britain.

On October 3, 1918 the American 77th infantry division was trapped on all sides by the Germans. They sent out two pigeons with messages requesting help, but both pigeons were shot down. The only pigeon that was left was Cher Ami. She was sent out with the division’s last request for help. On her way out of the 77th’s position she was shot by German riflemen. Even with this injury Cher Ami was able to carry on. She covered 25 miles in 25 minutes and was able to deliver the message to the American command.

Cher Ami Taxidermied 

The Americans were then able to send reinforcements in time to save the 77th. The army doctors worked long and hard to save Cher Ami. She survived, but she lost one of her legs. To replace it the soldiers carved her a little wooden one.

Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre Medal with a Palm Oak Leaf Cluster for her heroic actions. She died at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, on June 13, 1919 from the wounds she received in battle and was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931. She also received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of her extraordinary service during World War I. Her taxidermied body is now on display at the National Museum of American History’s "Price of Freedom" exhibit.

Poetry in World War One

Jack Sullivan, Butetown History & Arts Centre

After the war poets needed something to write about. Many of them chose WWI as a topic because of its impact on the world.

The poems had a wide variety of topics from battles, to the horrors of war, to its weapons and participants. In “The Bombardment” the poet Amy Lowell describes an artillery bombardment. during which many valuable things are broken or destroyed.

Another poem depicts a soldier as he thinks about how fortunate he was to be alive and well. These thoughts of his were stirred when he heard an owl, whose cry reminded him of how fortunate he was not to be dead while so many others were not. The title of the poem is “The Owl.”

The charges made by the men in the trenches against other trenches were almost pointless. The introduction of machine guns and the wreckage of no-mans land made such attacks costly and largely ineffective. In “Attack” an attack is described, and the author wishes it to stop due to its brutality and waste.

Because of the new type warfare introduced in WWI poets found a great wealth of topics and ideas to write about. Many poems were written by soldiers themselves, while others were written by poets who imagined what life was like as a soldier. The poems of and about WWI give an idea of how warfare was changing in that time to modern day.       

Popular Music during the War

Music During WWI

During the early days of the war music was used for recruiting young men. These tunes were uplifting and encouraged men to enlist. These songs included titles like "We Don't Want to Lose You, but We Think You Ought to Go," "Now You've Got the Khaki On" and "Kitcheners' Boys" which referred to a British senior officer, Herbert Kitchener. As the war pressed on, these types of songs disappeared and were replaced with music that talked about the war ending and men coming back home. Some popular titles were  "When the Boys Come Home" and "Keep the Home Fires Burning.” There were also anti-war songs. These songs were sometimes sarcastic, an example being "Oh, It's a Lovely War,” while others were more blunt in their criticism proclaiming the war was a waste of life. These songs did attract listeners, but they did not have a major affect on public opinion.

One of the big reasons music about the war was so plentiful was that there was no television or radios for people to listen to. Restrictions were imposed on citizens during a war that they could not use their radios, and most radio stations were shut down or taken for government use. Newspapers were reporting on the war, and the music helped them with their imagination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCUzD5eBTNU

  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mngRoSlJJUI