World War One – Page 32 – Old Magazine Articles

World War One American Prisoners of War
(The Stars and Stripes, 1919)

A brief notice reporting on the number of American Soldiers captured during the First World War. Also listed are the number of Americans who died in captivity as well as the number of prisoners taken categorized by branch of service. Interestingly, the notice states that 281 American Civilians were also taken prisoner.

Interestingly, the notice states that 116 American Civilians were also taken prisoner and we can assume that these Americans were with the Salvation Army, the Jewish Wellfare Board, the Knights of Columbus, etc.

Click here to learn what the Germans thought of American P.O.W.s…

A New Propaganda Delivery Sysytem
(Literary Digest, 1917)

Photographs of a small, hand-held helium balloon being loaded with German translations of President Wilson’s April (1917) war address in order that they might be released over the German trenches. This small notice makes clear that this particular method of persuasion resulted in fifty Germans surrendering.

Shrapnel Shells
(Freedom’s Triumph, 1919)

Attached herein are diagrams of three World War I shrapnel artillery shells designed for use on land. The illustrator provided precise details concerning the mechanism of each – the precise operation of the percussion fuse, the time ring, the location of the acid and the essential shrapnel projectiles.

Germany Introduces the Leather Gas Mask
(Popular Mechanics, 1917)

A year and a half before the end of World War I, the German Army introduced the Lederschutzmasken, a leather gas mask made of specially treated Bavarian sheepskin with removable lenses. Designed to replace the rubberized cloth gas masks, the 1917 respirators proved to be far more effective against phosgene gas than the 1915 masks. The Allied powers dismissed the new design as evidence that material shortages on the German home front were forcing changes.

Click here to read about the celebrations that took place in Paris the day World War One ended.

The Mills Bomb
(Trench Warfare, 1917)

A black and white mechanical drawing illustrating the most famous of British hand grenades that was ever used by British and Commonwealth forces during the course of World War One.

French Artillery Pieces
(Almanach Hachette, 1919)

Assorted black and white illustrations depicting an variety of French artillery pieces from the years 1916 and 1917; among them is a railway gun, Obusier de 520

Click here to learn about the timing fuses designed for W.W. I shrapnel shells.

The German Anti-Tank Rifle
(Almanach Hechette, 1919)

As a response to the drastic increase in French and British tank production, German industry manufactured a powerful (if cumbersome) anti-tank rifle in early 1918. The weapon fired a 13mm armor-piercing bullet but it’s heavy recoil made the weapon difficult to operate. The Abris Museum in Albert, France has one of these currently on display.

Invented for Sharp Shooters in the Trenches
(The Great War, 1918)

The German slide-rule jockeys of World War I burned the midnight oil well into the early hours coming up with this weird steel mask for their sharp-shooters…

Click here to learn more about W.W. I snipers.

Anticipating the Distasteful Ending
(The Masses, 1914)

Although not known as a clairvoyant, this 1914 cartoon by the New York artist John Sloan (1871 – 1951) seemed to predict the lousy ending that would play out four years after W.W. I reached its bloody climax.

Crown Prince Wilhelm Cartoon
(Life Magazine, 1919)

Attached is a caroon created in response to the memoir of Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882-1951), which came out earlier that same year (the review is posted on this site), this cartoon was drawn by Gluyas Williams (1888-1982) a cartoonist who is largely remembered by current generations for his contributions to THE NEW YORKER as well as his illustrations for a series of books by humorist Robert Benchley. In 1910, Williams served as Editor of ‘The Harvard Lampoon’ and upon graduation a year later began a brilliant freelance career as a cartoonist for ‘The Century Magazine’, ‘Collier’s’ and ‘Judge’ among others.

Click here to read about the woman who entertained the U.S. troops during the First World War.

Manhattan Servant Problems
(Vanity Fair, 1918)

The attached cartoon depicted one of the unintended consequences of German aggression during the First World War: the creation of what was known as the servant problem. It should be understood that the difficulty in question caused no particular hardship for those who were supposed to be the servants; they were simply delighted to vacate the collective domiciles of Mr. & Mrs. Got-Rocks in order to pull down a living wage in a nice, cozy smoke-spewing armament factory some place – leaving their former employers to fix their own meals and diaper junior.

Click here to read about the New York fashions of 1916.

Summer Mode for an Era’s End
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1914)

The Paris fashion world that thrived during the August of 1914 was rightfully intrigued by the chic creations conjured up by the House of Worth, Drécoll, and Mme Paquin.

Feminine Hats from a War-Weary France
(Harper’s Bazaar, 1918)

Six fashionable illustrations from Harper’s Bazaar of the Fall hats for 1918:

Paris is exceedingly critical in regard to hats even in wartime, and the new ones are most interesting. Black velvet of course is rampant, and Marie Louise especially is using much much black panne velvet…

This wartime fashion review makes one passing reference to the millinery efforts of Coco Channel.

World War I Fashions: Summer, 1916
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)

Ignoring the general unpleasantness taking place outside of town, the taste-makers of Paris soldiered-on as best they could, creating garments for the summer of 1916 that were both original and feminine and bore the mark of Paris’ characteristic opulence.

Click here to read about the New York fashions of 1916.

A Great Paris Couturier Lends Her Talent to American Uniforms
(The Stars and Stripes, 1918)

One year prior to her retirement, Madame Paquin (1869 – 1936) was asked by the U.S Army to help with a particular element of uniform design.

Masculine Shopping
(Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)

1916 was a poor year if you happened to be a German sailor off the coast of Denmark; it was a simply awful year if you were in the infantry on the Somme or near Verdun; but if you were an American fellow enjoying his nation’s neutrality and you happened at some point to have been shopping for the the perfect riding suit on Madison Avenue, then OldMagazineArticles.com is quite certain that 1916 was a great year for you! Attached, you will find a wonderful article about the 1916 offerings for the horseback riding man.

If you would like to read another article about men’s equestrian attire, please click here.