The Foxhole Art of Emil P. Hill Uncle Willie in Repose

Click to Enlarge  "Uncle Willie as I Last Saw Him" by E.P. Hill 1943 Collection Laura Levine

Master Photographer Laura Levine sends along a fantastic drawing done by a soldier during World War Two.  Laura found it among a group of other interesting  "foxhole art" drawings apparently produced, and swapped around, from the Pacific front.  Uncle Willie was likely a memory which came to a young soldier as he pondered his own fate.  The small packet of drawings include a few by Emil P. Hill and others which are anonymous.  

There was plenty of time to hone drawing skills.  Thankfully many battles were brief, though brutal…and pencil and paper was frequently available.

I've written about foxhole art before…but mostly for the other blog.  The number of accomplished cartoonists and illustrators who emerged after the war is considerable.  Many had their art careers disrupted by the war, others picked up their skills painting on duffel bags for friends.  Those with talent could trade a pinup for smokes.  For some it was the aluminum media of glamour girls done on the noses of bombers.  Many returning vets enrolled in commercial art programs, others did it by falling for those cheap "Learn to Draw" ads in the back of magazines.

One could look up Emil P. Hill and see if he served with distinction, if he made it home, and if he pursued his art career.  I hope he did all three. 

"Uncle Willie as I Last Saw Him" by Emil P. Hill II  Collection Laura Levine  Pencil on Paper 1943

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A few other examples of Trench Art, or what could also be dubbed "Foxhole Art"  appears HERE HERE HERE HERE

 

An Unfortunate Collage Death as a Way of Life Part Two Funeral Post-Mortem Photography

An unfortunate memorial photograph, a "constructed" post-mortem if you will, with a portrait of the deceased later collaged onto an original photograph taken of her service.

Wreaths were a sacrifice to the dead and the tradition persists...but they were certainly for the living more than the departed. They were, and are, elaborate tributes the lost soul cannot see. The young woman remembered here wouldn't have seen the taxidermy dove placed among the wreaths either.
It was not uncommon for a photograph of the dead to be positioned among the wreaths for a photo, nor is it unusual to see a photo of the dead actually placed into a cased frame with a left-over arrangement from the funeral. They were allowed to dry, hang, and eventually end up in an antique mall 100 years later. However, this is the first photograph I have seen later added to a memorial photo. Not that I have looked.

Every type of photographic technique has been used to photograph the dead. A more traditional post-mortem tintype is shown here. The Stereoview is from the New York Public Library collection.


Original Floral Wreath Funeral Photograph with additional Portrait Affixed. Circa 1880? Collection Jim Linderman

DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOKS AND EBOOK ORDERS HERE

Death as a Way of Life Post-Mortem Tintype Photograph collection Jim Linderman

I know this hurts. A post-mortem tintype photograph circa 1870 depicts a mother holding her recently passed away child. Infant mortality was high and children were often photographed as a memento before burial. An image to share with family members, and nearly every post-mortem photograph is the only image of a loved child. Then, an all too common practice for young mothers. Today, merely a collectible category for early photography collections.

If a photographer can create art in a scene this sorrowful, then he or she is an artist indeed.


Early in the 18th century, death as a youngster was not as rare as it thankfully is now, at least here in the United States. It was also not uncommon for children to be given miniature coffins as playthings or told stories which placed an emphasis on death. Games children played and the rhymes they recited were gruesome indeed. Inevitable but unfortunate. I call it a failure in the design.

Post-Mortem Tintype photograph Collection Jim Linderman

Link to Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books




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