World War I American Military Service and Wartime Culture Pershing, Verdun, and Armistice Imagery Archive, 1910s–1920s

WWI Original Drawing

Archive

Severin, Florence H. “World Peace” drawing and associated photographic materials of American soldiers, produced 1910s–1920s, document United States military experience during World War I and its immediate aftermath, providing primary-source evidence for the study of wartime service, propaganda imagery, and soldier life across both European and domestic settings. The archive includes visual records of troop assembly, trench labor, and battlefield destruction alongside a commemorative drawing dated November 11, 1918, marking the Armistice. Together, the materials support research into how American military presence was documented and interpreted at the moment of global conflict and at its conclusion, with particular emphasis on the symbolic language of patriotism, sacrifice, and national identity.

Archive of 7 items consisting of 5 real photo postcards, 1 large photograph, and 1 original drawing by Florence H. Severin of Houston, Texas, dated November 11, 1918. The postcards, measuring approximately 4" x 6" to 5" x 7", include two examples printed “Carte Postale” on the verso indicating French origin, one depicting John J. Pershing addressing a large formation of troops from a flag-draped stage, captioned “General Pershing addressing the troops,” and another showing seated soldiers with a handwritten note reading “I sure have a sorry look on while the others are smiling,” signed by a soldier identified as “Michael.” Additional images include a group of American soldiers digging trenches, with one postcard marked “Passed by Censor, Washington, D.C.,” reflecting wartime information control. The large photograph, measuring approximately 9" x 6.75", presents an aerial view of Verdun with extensive visible destruction. The drawing, measuring approximately 8" x 6", depicts a uniformed American doughboy and sailor standing before a U.S. flag gathered by the talon of a bald eagle, captioned “World Peace” and signed and dated November 11, 1918. A later photograph, likely from the 1920s, shows a naval vessel in harbor with sailors aboard and an American flag positioned at the bow.

The materials correspond to major developments of World War I, including the prolonged and highly destructive fighting at Verdun and the mobilization of American forces in Europe under General Pershing’s command. The inclusion of censorship markings reflects federal control over wartime communication, while the Armistice-dated drawing demonstrates how the end of the conflict was immediately commemorated through patriotic imagery linking military service to national symbolism. The combination of European battlefield imagery, soldier-authored annotations, and postwar naval presence situates the archive across the transition from wartime mobilization to peacetime reflection, offering a compact but varied visual record of American military experience and memory formation in the First World War era. Light wear and minor handling present; inscriptions and captions remain legible; overall very good condition.

Item #19791

Price: $585.00