CC0 · no rights reserved
A Street Behind the Front
From the collection of National Museum of American History. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Pen and watercolor drawing on paper. This detailed sketch of a street scene is unusually polished for J. Andre Smith's wartime art, using pen hatching to create textures and watercolor chiaroscuro to create depth. This work depicts American soldiers in a war-torn village behind the Western Front of World War I. The soldiers appear to be assisting with securing the shell-torn structures of the village. Light blue poles are installed along the facade of the the home in the background, preventing its collapse.
National Museum of American History’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineA Street Behind the Front. 1918-04. War Department. National Museum of American History, War Department. Historical Branch of the General Staff. CC0.
