Trench Art and Modern Attraction

There are many reasons we are predisposed to collect the things that we do. Objects, in their tangential form, have the ability to evoke the evanescent. They can evoke a memory of a time, place, person, or emotion. These memories are most often based on reality; definitive happenings experienced in our lifetimes. But sometimes, we experience a rarer, more profound form of attraction that has no obvious connection to the life we have lived.

This attraction, persistent, deep-seated and irresistibly magnetic will manifest as a cathexis of objects and symbols. A woman in the Midwest who has never visited the ocean might dream of it every night, and collect shells. A 21st century American man develops an obsession with French war artifacts during the reign of Napoleon. It can easily be argued that these choices to collect are entirely random, and it is also easy to argue that they are an unmistakable nexus to a past life. My personal belief is that certain memories are part of a collective unconscious, and some sort of catalyst triggers their discovery. I don't know what drives the catalyst, and don't think I ever will because that, my dear friends, is just too metaphysical of a question and I keep that can of worms closed unless you are really determined to engage me.

I've never been to war, despise violence, and don't have any family members that have seen active combat. Yet somehow, I have developed an affinity with trench art and decided to start a collection. "Trench art" is a term used to describe decorative objects made by soldiers during times of war, usually out of metal such as aluminum scraps and ammunition casings. The practice flourished during the first world war, but remained popular through WWII.

Small objects such as rings and sweetheart bracelets were essentially the only pieces that could actually be made in trenches. It would have been far too difficult and dangerous to utilize the tools necessary to make larger and more complicated pieces such as vases and miniature planes while in combat. Larger pieces were usually made by off duty forces, prisoners, and men behind the front lines. These objects were often sent home to loved ones as souvenirs and gifts. Civilians in occupied countries also created decorative items such as embroidered postcards and floursacks to make extra income.

My favorite type of trench art, no surprise, is jewelry. My first acquisition is a ring made of aluminum in Palermo, Italy in 1944. Soldiers would often create a new ring at each place they were stationed to commemorate their travels. This one belonged to a vet that was also stationed in Algiers.

I'm currently bidding on this sweetheart bracelet, hoping to add it to my collection:

Dick loves Helen bracelet

This is an example of a larger decorative work made from shell cases in WWI:

wwii shell case vases

A rare and well executed WWI lighter, most likely made from brass coat buttons:

wwi nude woman lighter

A WWII brass souvenir ring made in Anzio, probably from a bullet casing:

wwii ring from Anzio

A small aluminum and brass WWII plane; these were often used as paperweights:

bullet and aluminum plane

I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new today. What do you collect that you have no explanation for, and why do you think you do it?

xoxo
Giana