Military - Overview
The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.
The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.
"Military - Overview" showing 58 items.
Page 1 of 6
American Troops Supply Train
- Description
- Gouache and oil on paper. A group of American soldiers and horse-drawn carts laden with supplies are the subject of this busy scene. A large shell torn building is in the background.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25645
- catalog number
- 25645
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Billeting Village Near Neufchateau
- Description
- Charcoal, crayon, watercolor, and gouache on heavy white card. The work depicts several buildings on a street in a village near Neufchâteau, France. The buildings are intact and not shell-torn. The painting shows the view down a road which leads through village.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25646
- catalog number
- 25646
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Billeting Village Near Neufchateau, Farm Building
- Description
- Charcoal, watercolor, and gouache on heavy white card paper. The work depicts a set of buildings on a farm near Neufchâteau, France. The farm buildings are detailed with their bricks, roofs, and chimneys. There is an outline of a road. A building is in the immediate foreground on the left although the entire building is not shown. The sky is partially blue, and there are some trees in the background.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25647
- catalog number
- 25647
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Billeting Village Near Neufchateau, Farm Building
- Description
- Charcoal, ink wash, and gouache on beige card. The work depicts a farm building in a village near Neufchâteau, France. The farm building is in good condition.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25648
- catalog number
- 25648
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Billeting Village Near Neufchateau, Farm Building
- Description
- Charcoal, ink wash, and gouache on heavy white card. The drawing depicts a farm building with extensive shell damage to its roof.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25649
- catalog number
- 25649
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Clearing Out the Road through Mont St. Père
- Description
- Charcoal and gouache on beige textured paper mounted on brown card. The work depicts soldiers clearing rubble off the road that goes through Mont-Saint-Père. The large building that dominates the scene is badly damaged from the war.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25651
- catalog number
- 25651
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Crossing the Pontoon Bridge, Château Thierry
- Description
- A mixed media drawing on white textured paper showing a pontoon bridge crossing in Château-Thierry. There are five pontoon boats serving as a base for a temporary bridge. Horse-drawn supply wagons cross the bridge against the backdrop of a village.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated date
- 1917-1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25653
- catalog number
- 25653
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engineer Camp Near Flirey
- Description
- Charcoal or crayon with gouache on heavy white card. A complex of dugouts and other structures are built into the side of the hill. Soldiers move through the outdoor area in front of the dugouts.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25655
- catalog number
- 25655
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
First Division Headquarters Kitchen - St Mihiel Drive
- Description
- Charcoal and gouache on beige card. A large group of American soldiers congregates outside a shell torn building. The men are standing around, eating, resting, or serving themselves food. A sign on the side of the building reads "Mud Dog Inn."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25656
- catalog number
- 25656
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
German Prisoner Type
- Description
- Mixed media drawing on cardboard. Portrait of a German soldier's face. He has a cap with a green ribbon on it, pulled to one side.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- associated person
- War Department
- artist
- Aylward, William James
- ID Number
- AF*25658
- catalog number
- 25658
- accession number
- 64592
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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