Trench Art

by Nicholas J. Saunders

Overview

Engraved shell-cases, bullet-crucifixes, letter openers and cigarette lighters made of shrapnel and cartridges, miniature airplanes and tanks, talismanic jewelry, embroidery, objects carved from stone, bone and wood – all of these things are trench art, the misleading name given to the dazzling array of objects made from the waste of war, in particular the Great War of 1914-1918 and the inter-war years. And they are the subject of Nicholas Saunders’s pioneering study which is now republished in a revised edition in paperback.

He reveals the lost world of trench art, for every piece relates to the story of the momentous experience of its maker – whether front-line soldier, prisoner of war, or civilian refugee. The objects resonate with the alternating terror and boredom of war, and those created by the prisoners symbolize their struggle for survival in the camps. Many of these items were poignant souvenirs bought by battlefield pilgrims between 1919 and 1939 and kept brightly polished on mantelpieces, often for a lifetime.

Nicholas Saunders investigates their origins and how they were made, exploring their personal meaning and cultural significance. He also offers an important categorization of types which will be a useful guide for collectors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848846371
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	12/27/2011
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Nicholas J. Saunders was educated at the universities of Sheffield, Cambridge, and Southampton. He has held teaching and research positions at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of the West Indies, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C., and at University College London, where he was Reader in Material Culture and undertook a major British Academy sponsored investigation into the material culture anthropology of the First World War. As of 2014 Saunders is Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol,

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 5

Preface 7

About this book 9

Introduction 11

Chapter I What is Trench Art?

The Meanings of Trench Art 19

Chapter II Trench Art, a Classification

Categories of Trench Art

Category 1 Soldiers, 1914-1919 27

Sub-category la Active Service 29

Sub-category lb Prisoners of War 31

Sub-category lc The Wounded 34

Category 2 Civilians, 1914-1939 36

Sub-category 2a 1914-1918 38

Sub-category 2b 919-1939 39

Sub-category 2c 1914-1919 41

Category 3 C.1918-C.1939 .43

Chapter III The Art of Shells

The Birth of the Shell 47

The Makers and Their Techniques .51

Styles and Decoration 57

Chapter IV The World of Metals 69

Writing Equipment 70

Smoking Equipment 78

Jewellery, Minatures and Miscellanea 85

The Victoria Cross 94

Chapter V Wood, Textiles and Bone

Woodwork 97

Textiles 101

Bone and Miscellaneous 105

Chapter VI The Social Worlds of Trench Art 109

Landscapes of Metal 111

Trench Art as Souvenirs 121

Trench Art in the Home 125

Trench Art as Art 133

Chapter VII Trench Art Today 135

Trench Art and Museums 140

Epilogue 147

The Market for Trench Art/Price Guide 148

Sources of Quotations 156

Websites 157

Bibliography 158