The Official Look of the War to End All Wars

On Tuesday January 5, the New York Public Library announced that it had greatly expanded its digital archives, making hundreds of thousands of documents and photos available to the public, copyright free.

I decided I would go looking for some interesting images.

Within the archive are a group of photos described as a “Collection of World War I photographs issued by the Division of Pictures of the Committee on Public Information of the United States.” The photos were obviously taken between 1917 and 1918, the years of US involvement in the war.

Part of what is interesting about this collection of photos, beyond the incredible clarity given the time period and the conditions surrounding capture, is that they do a phenomenal job of distancing the presence of troops from actual bloody combat. Unsurprising for an official release of photographs, maybe, but a selection that leaves the campaign feeling pristine and orderly.

There are several photographs of a ceremonial nature, such as US and French military leaders staring eye to eye with troops strictly at attention in the background.

In this case US General John Pershing meets with French Généralissime Marshal Foch.

As well as a good deal of marching…

But what is most interesting to me are the seemingly staged photos of calm within a war. A wounded soldier being comforted, a seemingly casual conversation.

In the collection of 13 photographs there are also a couple of historical interest. One depicts a group of African American soldiers marching “to the front.” About 370,000 African American men were added to the US Army with more than a million drafted.

Two combat divisions were formed from the men who joined, the 92nd and 93rd divisions of the 369th Infantry with about 40,000 total troops. The photograph does not appear to indicate whether the soldiers were indeed part of a combat unit, or may have been otherwise part of a service unit, which accounted for most of the jobs of the enlisted African Americans.

The 93rd was given the nickname the “Harlem Hellfighters,” and served under French command, as described in an NYPL essay.

Several images appear to reveal the actual fighting of battles, although the lack of any casualties visible makes it impossible to tell whether the photographs are rather from exercises.

Maybe the most remarkable picture of them all is one that captures an artillery unit in the middle of a series of volleys. A single shell casing is flipping through the air, one soldier seemingly staring into camera.