PROVENANCE: Archives of a French photographer on the front lines of the Great War. This collection includes surgical photographs showing wounded soldiers and injuries suffered by them. Authentic photos to show real captations and not faked pictures from maneuvers showing staged scenes from behind the front or came from movies.

IMPORTANCE OF THIS COLLECTION: The following from LENS: In 1914, as the outbreak of World War I brought mass slaughter to Europe’s battlefields, photojournalism evolved rapidly in the muddy trenches, where 19th century tactics met 20th century weapons. Machine guns, airplanes, tanks, flamethrowers, poisonous gas and submarines were widely used for the first time against doomed troops that were sent by their generals into frontal attacks that left millions dead.

This unimaginable carnage was witnessed by photographers who for the first time got close enough to the front to document combat, as well as scenes of soldiers at rest and at play.

“The First World War is the conflict in which the concept of documentary truth first evolved,” said Hilary Roberts, the photography curator at the Imperial War Museums in London and a co-author of “The Great War: A Photographic Narrative.” “Prior to that, because of the scarcity of press photography in general, picture desk editors from newspapers were quite happy to use photographs which were merely representative or illustrative of a point rather than showing a genuine event itself.”

Independent photographers were kept far from the front lines, creating a problem for newspapers whose circulation depended on having pictures to illustrate dispatches from the war.

“It was a terribly important element for them when professional press photographs became unavailable in 1914,” Ms. Roberts said. “The newspapers of every nation were in a quandary and constantly asserting pressure on the authorities to deal with this situation.”

The solution reached by the authorities was to appoint official photographers, most of whom had worked for newspapers before joining the military. They used medium-format cameras that produced small glass-plate negatives – the Leica, which popularized the 35-millimeter film format, was still 10 years from being released to the public.

DIMENSIONS:The card dimensions are Approx. 1.8" x 4.25".

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The lots offered in this sale have been selected among many options and always thinking of offering excellent opportunities to the customers. The vast majority are original of the time (unless otherwise indicated).. We have included quality images showing its current condition. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.