The country. Next we visit the president Woodrow Wilson house in washington, d. C. , which was home to the 28th president and his wife, edith, after they left the white house. A wilson house exhibit features a Brown University collection of world war i paintings and other artworks. They helped shape Public Opinion over the three years that america remained neutral in the conflict. Finally, in 1917 president wilson led the nation into what was hoped to be the war to end all wars. Jo welcome to the president Woodrow Wilson house here in washington, d. C. This home was finished in 1916 and was the home to which president and mrs. Wilson moved the very day they left the white house on march 4th, 1921. ohzn both of them lived here the rest of their lives. For president wilson that was to be only three more years. He died early in 1924, but amazingly his widow, edith, lived until 1961 in this home and wasd had a front seat really in American History during that entire time. In our collection here we have a large number of gifts of state that were given to president and mrs. Wilson. One reason that we have so many of these gifts from other countries is because of the pivotal role that president wilson played in ending world war i. It was about 100 years ago this month, right now, that world war i broke out, and president wilson faced two tremendous crises in his life. One was the outbreak of war in europe, which began on august 2nd when germany invaded belgium violating belgiums neutrality and provoking other nations then to declare war against each other and really begin the war. And just four days later his wife ellen wilson died as first lady in the white house. She suffered from a kidney ailment called brights disease that today is curable but in her time was fatal. President wilson faced a nation and a world that was very different than ours today. The United States had become the Largest Global economy by 1900 but was still not thought of as a major diplomatic or military power. In fact, in 1914 the United States had the 12th largest army in the world sharing that position with both greece and serbia. All three countries had armies numbering about 200,000 men. But by the end of world war i in 1918, the United States had an army of 4 million men in uniform and fully 2 million of them were in europe. Its remarkable to think that during that brief space of time we assembled such an army and were able to transport half of it to the battle fields of europe as a decisive influence in that conflict. From the outset of the war, americans were troubled and confused about americas role. There were some who thought that we ought to get involved, but they were an obvious minority. The remaining who thought we shouldnt be involved at all, and president wilson staked out from the beginning a position of american neutrality. I think he hoped that the United States could play a role in brokering a peace, serving as a mediator, and even when his wife was on her deathbed, he was writing a note, signing a letter to Kaiser Wilhelm of germany and king george v of Great Britain offering to mediate the dispute. Its remarkable to think of the personal turmoil that wilson was embroiled in during this time. We have now an exhibition of world war i art on display this summer through august 10th here at the Woodrow Wilson house in washington, and its timely to have this and its poignant for us to have an exhibition of this sort. We talk about world war i and those of white house study it know that there were 17 to 18 Million People killed in that conflict. It was a tragedy of proportions really as yet unexperienced by humanity. The engines of the Industrial Revolution were turned horribly to the destructions of cities and the death of combatants and were very fish nent what they did. So we see world war i as an event on a huge scale, and yet the tragedies were quite individual, and i look at the exhibition downstairs and i see the individual faces of combatants or of those tending to them and see the tragedy of the war at a very human scale, a very personal scale. I think thats a remarkable thing to take from the exhibition. One of the images there that i find most telling, most touching is one called goodbye old man, and it shows world war i soldier cradling in his arms the head of a horse, obviously his horse, who has been mortally wounded, and the artist convey that is the horse is dying. The great affection and and reliance between the soldier and his animal. These images are from the first part of the war when the soldiers were all european, and so its very likely that this horse came from the farm with the soldier into war and that they had known each other for years. And at the same time hes saying goodbye to this dear friend, one of his colleagues is up the road urgently summoning him, and you can see artillery shells exploding along the road nearby, probably one of which had wounded the horse. So theres an urgency and a sadness to that image that i think especially captures the tragedy of world war i for that soldier and for that time and thats one of the reasons im particularly glad to have this exhibition here at this time. Hello. My name is stephanie dagherty and im the associate manager at curator at the president Woodrow Wilson house. Welcome to our gallery. Today we have an exhibition covering the first two years of world war i called images of the great war the european offenses 1914 to 1916. This image is der rived from the ann s. K. Brown military collection at Brown University library. The exhibit consists of 32 drawings, prints, and watercolors from this collection. Here we have a map that highlights some of the battles between 1914 and 1916. Here is the battle of eeps. The exhibition features artists of different nationalities, so it is a truly a visual representation of the war from multiple perspectives. Whats unique about this exhibition is that many of the images you see were drawn from the pens of the soldiers themselves as well as for the illustrated press. So while modernism and abstract art were gaining popularity in the early 20th century, what you will see here is more images representational art thats more similar to those of the 19th century. Because of this, a lot of this work has been overshadowed by the official artists who accompanied the troops to the front. Because most of these images appeared in the illustrated press, these got the most public exposure during the war, particularly among europeans, but a couple also reached america, and no doubt influenced Public Opinion. I want to speak a little about the ann s. K. Brown military collection. Mrs. Brown started collecting artifacts in the 1930s and she amassed an extensive collection of military prints, toy soldiers, manuscripts, maps, all relating to wars. In 1981 mrs. Brown donated her extensive collection to Brown Universitys library. It still remains there today as a great repository of military art and artifacts. Lets start out with some of her toy soldiers that she started collecting. Here we have lead toy soldiers depicting some depicting different nationalities that fought in world war i. We have the italians up in front, the french soldiers in the middle, and then german cavalry as well as german officers. Mrs. Brown started collecting toy soldiers on her honeymoon to europe in the 1930s. Many of these figures were made in the hide factory in dresden, germany. The factory was bombed during world war ii and no longer exists. She amassed a collection of 5,000 toy soldiers, of which you only see a small representative ranging from ancient egypt to the 1950s. Lets now and go see some of her print works. Here we have our first example of the printed works in ann browns collection. This is by the french artist frank ilem. He was well known for depicting horses, particularly in racing scenes. In this watercolor the artist has captured a drab british convoy of horsedrawn wagons as it moves slowly along a rutted dirt road. This is particularly noteworthy for the depiction of the horses and the covered wagons which is reminiscent of a 19th century battle. But we also have a telegraph that seems to propel us more into 20th century technology. This is one of my favorite pieces in the exhibition as its representative of many of the themes we want to convey, most notably the juxtaposition between 19th centuryexz strateg and tactics alongside 20th century technology. This image appeared in a pictorial newspaper in november 1917. It seems almost to be a metaphor for the entire war itself as these mounted men seem to disappear into oblivion. Many people associate the poppy with the tragedy of world war i from 1914 to 1918. The poppy was immortalized in john mccrays poem in flanders field. John mccray was a medical officer in the canadian army. One of his dear friends fell in the eeps salient in 1915. Evers on the back of an ambulance when he looked out and saw a cemetery covered in poppies. This really prompted him to write a poem about the death and destruction he saw during the war. Today youll see thousands of people wearing poppies, especially in britain and the commonwealth, during our Armistice Day and Remembrance Day which are both november 11th. Most of the artists in this exhibition were either the soldiers themselves on the front, those sent by illustrated newspapers, or professional studio artists. Here we have an example of a professional academic artist who never visited the front, so this is an imaginary scene. It depicts men walking through a town. As you can tell, the town has been totally destroyed by the fighting. In fact, the entire town had to be totally rebuilt in the 1920s. In this picture we see three german cavalry men sitting on upturned barrels playing cards. Their horses await battle in the background. The feeling is quite sobering as these men and their horses await their turn in battle. About 8 million horses died during the war effort. Here we have a very poignant scene by a french artist. It depicts a station. You can see a red cross train waiting outside along with many Wounded Soldiers and other soldiers waiting their turn in line for battle. Little is known about this artist, though its likely he was a soldier or sent by the illustrated press. During this time, photography hadnt totally eclipsed the graphic art in newspapers. So many publishers were sending people to depict what they were seeing as opposed to sending photographers. Many of these artists did not go by their own name. They used a pen name aor they used their initials. In the bottom righthand corner we see a small motive that reminds us of goodbye old man. It appears to be a horse dead on the ground and we see the outlines of wagons and troops leaving him behind. Here we have a unique print thats unlike others in the exhibition as it really concentrates on the spirituality of the war. Many people that would have been seeing these images were seeking consolation for what was going on at the front. Here we have a priest who you can still see is a soldier. He still has his spurs on and hes clearly putting the robe over his uniform. We have other soldiers surrounding him and a makeshift alter with a cross and candles here. They seem to be preparing to receive communion. In the background we see hundreds of other soldiers that dont that seem oblivious to what is going on. This is an imaginary scene, and franklin is unreal stack istic was going on on the front. This is a lithograph by the british artist griffin hagan. Again, this was a negative image that was deemed unsuitable for the war effort and wouldnt have had as much public exposure as other propaganda pieces in this exhibition. Here we have a british medical officer attending to a wounded soldier. We see blood dripping down from under his bandage, yet he still clutches his rifle. This british artist, griffin hagan, was an academic artist and wasnt a soldier during the war. This is a color print by the british artist wily. This artist was very interested in perspective. He had previously been depicting British Naval battles but with the invention of the aircraft, he soon became intrigued with aerial warfare. In fact, he ascended in a hot air balloon so he could note the natural curvature of the landscape. Here hes depicted a view of eeps. The names on the gold matt replicate what was on the original wooden frame and it gives you a sense of space. This is the battle of juteland which occurred which was fought on the north sea in 1916. Here we have boy cornwall who is on the hms chester. We see that cornwalls comrades have fallen in battle, however he gained recognition for staying at his post awaiting orders even as those fell around him. This image was used as propaganda to inspire patriotism in other inspire patriotism in others. In fact, corn wall was only 16 1 2 years old and received the victoria cross. This is one of the few works in this collection that focuses on an individual who we know their name. And really inspired heroism among other soldiers and civilians. Here we have french troops, french clone yal troops from north africa overpowering german soldiers. We see the river marn in the background. Also note this is in a fan shape which is unique. This artist was well known for depicting art deco fashions. This is atypical of his work. The battle of marn which was fought in Early September 1914. It stopped the german offensive into france. The french havent forgotten that the germans annexed lorraine from 1870 to 1871. This artist who went by the name uncle hansy produced many antigerman propaganda pieces like this one. Here we have a french soldier carrying a german border and leading german soldiers out of france, away from his hometown of comar. This scene depicts a german officer and then potentially the kaiser and prince along with german troops approaching the bed of a french or belgian woman. This cartoon is a metaphor for the rape of belgium. Many rumors of german atrocities reached europe and america. In fact, england ordered the Bryce Commission to investigate these alleged atrocities. This was drawn by a war correspondent during world war 1. He designed war bond posters and published albums in 191619 and 1918. Here are two french soldiers waiting in line to receive soup. Rations were a big problem in the trenches and the dug outs. Many soldiers suffer from starvation and there were frequently times of food shortages. Here we see the artist has only colored in two of the soldiers. We see the outlines of many soldiers that could be a metaphor for the numerous mouths that needed to be fed. While many of the imhaages depi handtohand combat and specific battles, im taken by this ink drawing by an austrian artist. I am amazed at the level of detail he was able to convey in such ale small work. This depicts a young soldier who closes his eyes for a few minutes. Hes away from the battlefield. Hes either found a natural shelter or he dug his own with his bayonet. Because much of the fighting involving the austrians was in the alps, staying warm was a major concern. We see this soldier has a small blanket. Hes done his best to cover his entire body. We see he has large fur boots in an attempt to keep his feet warm. This image was probably created for an austrian newspaper or magazine. It would have received public exposure. Above we have an ink drawing from the same artist, austrian artist sussman. It depicts an austrian soldier accepting a mug of water from a woman. This simple drawing reminds us that civilians also had a role to play during the war effort. This is the only i imaginek tng the exhibition to be done by a turkish artist. Turkey did join the central powers in the great and fought mostly in the middle east. This caricature shows a turkish soldier smiling at his austrian ally as he cuts down a miniature figure of his russian enemy. We see there are multiple russians in line to be cut down. This is another one of my favorite images in the exhibition. It was done by the swiss artist moon den. You really get a sense of the 19th century versus the 20th century. Here we see cavalry men mounted on horses, galloping past a dilapidated house. They seem to be headed in the direction of these three planes. One has been shot down. Perhaps the other two are hovering over their kill. This exemplifies the j juxtaposition between 19th century and 20th century warfare. The mounted cavalry could have been from the civil war. It is the depiction of the airplanes that truly makes this a 20th century war. This hand to hand combat reminds us of previous wars. This is a very intimate depiction as we see the expressions on each of the soldiers faces. The artist was a popper lar childrens cartoonist. This particular group of the french army helped break the stalemate of trench warfare in the native region of the french alps. The title is called los diabl los diablos luiz which ises the blue devils. This is the same artist who drew goodbye old man which we saw earlier. This is a funny depiction. We see a german officer staring at a small boy and his mother. As they walk away the boy turns around and sticks his tongue out at the german officer. The title is called the strongest which is a play on words. Who is the strongest . Is it the german or the little boy . To end the stalemate on the western front the british had tanks on a limited bay bai sis. This etching depicts the first tank. Unfortunately many suffered mechanical failure or oh were put out of action by enemy fire. This immanual foreshadows the type of technology that would be used in future wars. The british artist pierce drove south and ent erred the war zone. For four days he was able to move about the war zone without any trouble. So this depicts an eyewitness account. As he was driving he often stopped to depict scenes unfolding before his eyes. This depict it is British Naval division as the town of ostead was about to fall in october 1914. Its only the second month of thor war. Here we see british soldiers as well as civilians side by side. They were refugees. This image reminds us that not only did many soldiers die during the war, but many civilians were displaced due to the fighting. Here we see women and children bringing only what they could carry. We get a sense of uncertainty on their faces. Here we have three french prisoners offer war by the dutch artist raymakers. This is particularly notable as the artist had the most public exposure in america. He had many images published after the war in 1917. We see a german troop standing guard. This really epitomizes the boredom and hopelessness and despair that was so prevalent in the p. O. W. Camps. According to one source 8 million surrendered during the war. Of these 2 million were held captive by the germans. Along with the average american president wilson would have learned information about the war through similar images to the ones in this exhibit. They may have swayed his opinion one way or the other. You can watch this or other american artifacts programs any time by visiting our website, cspan. Org history. During this Holiday Season we are showing you American History programs. Heres whats ahead next. Well start with one of oh several pieces from a recent world war 1 symposium. First up, an introduction. Then from the same program, a discussion on the countdown to war and later, a look at the battle of the marn which took place in 1914. American history tv visited the macarthur memorial in norfolk, virginia, marking the world war with i centennial. This introduction to the days