A US Military Model 1881 Dress Steel Pickelhaube Helmet in good condition with no liner and considerable internal rust. The Pickelhaube, or “spiked helmet,” is one of the most recognizable military helmets of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Introduced by Prussia in 1842, it was subsequently adopted by the other German states and became closely associated with the Imperial German Army. Most examples were made from hardened black leather with metal fittings, a distinctive spike on the crown, and a large front helmet plate, or Wappen, identifying the wearer’s state or organization. The helmet’s influence extended well beyond Germany as Prussian military organization, uniforms, and traditions were widely admired and copied during the 19th century. Variations of the spiked helmet were adopted by numerous foreign militaries, including Russia, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, several Latin American nations, and the United States. The U.S. Army adopted a German-inspired spiked dress helmet in the 1880s, most notably the Model 1881 Dress Helmet, with different insignia and fittings distinguishing branches of service. These foreign helmets incorporated their own national emblems and details rather than simply copying the German pattern. The Pickelhaube remained standard equipment for much of the German Army when World War I began in 1914, although field-gray covers were commonly worn to conceal its conspicuous fittings. Wartime shortages resulted in helmets being manufactured from substitute materials such as felt, while the Model 1915 introduced subdued fittings and a removable spike. Because the leather Pickelhaube offered little protection against artillery fragments and the hazards of trench warfare, Germany introduced the steel M1916 Stahlhelm in 1916, which rapidly replaced it in front-line service. Today, the Pickelhaube remains an enduring symbol of the Imperial German military as well as the widespread international influence of Prussian military tradition during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.