Collection History

NYPL has a very strong collection of printed materials about the First World War, originally cataloged as the "European War, 1914-1918." It also holds original materials that are not well known. This digital presentation offers two unique compilations and two rare, published works. The two albums and the postcard series are relatively recent acquisitions, while the French automaker's publication was a routine acquisition of the 1910s.

Background

The First World War lasted from 1914 to November 11, 1918 (the date on which the United States commemorates its war veterans), but the United States was an active participant for only the last eighteen months of the conflict. The two albums are both American, joining a larger tradition of creating personal records of one individual's participation in momentous events. The French book records the military use of a civilian factory, and the German postcards portray the German side of the war.

Related Resources

Carmichael, Jane. First World War Photographers (1989).

Dewitz, Bodo von. So wird bei uns der Krieg geführt!: Amateurfotografie im Ersten Weltkrieg (c1989)

Gallagher, Jean. The World Wars through the Female Gaze (1998).

Gilbert, Adrian. World War I in photographs (1986).

Haythornthwaite, Philip J. A Photohistory of World War One (1989-90, repr. c1993).

Holmes, Richard. The First World War in Photographs (c2001).

Der Krieg als Reise: der Erste Weltkrieg - Innenansichten (1999).

Latos, Henryk. Z historii fotografii wojennej (1985).

Miquel, Pierre. 1918, images de la victoire: janvier-novembre (c1998).

Miquel, Pierre. 14-18: mille images inédites (c1988).

Der Weltkrieg im Bild (1927-[1929?]). 2 v. [Bd. 1] Originalaufnahmen des Kriegs, Bild, und Filmamtes aus der modernen Materialschlaft; [Bd. 2] Frontaufnahmen aus den Archiven der Entente.

See also in Library Catalog: World War, 1914-1918 -- Pictorial works