Harry Everett Townsend (1879 - 1941)

Townsend came from Illinois farm country, but early resolved not to follow in his father’s footsteps as farmer and merchant. He enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago, then studied with Howard Pyle, spending some time in France and Germany. Eventually settling in New York, he became a much-in-demand illustrator. In 1912 he took a job with a London magazine that allowed him to reside in France, an arrangement that came to an abrupt end in 1914.

Townsend came back to America, first to draw war posters, then to join the official artists and return to France in spring 1918. Much of his war work centered on new technologies like warplanes and tanks.

After the war he was accredited as an artist to the peace conference. He also taught at the Army’s art center until he departed in late May 1919 for home. Settling back in the United States, Townsend worked out of a studio he built in Norwalk, Connecticut, for the remainder of his life.

Charcoal sketch on white paper of American soldiers American soldiers huddled in a trench, presumably getting ready for battle and preparing for a gas attack. Some soldiers are wearing gas masks, while others peek over the trench walls.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper of American soldiers American soldiers huddled in a trench, presumably getting ready for battle and preparing for a gas attack. Some soldiers are wearing gas masks, while others peek over the trench walls. In the background at right there is an overturned tank behind a dead horse. There is barbed wire in the background on the left. Toxic gasses, such as chlorine and mustard gas, were used in World War I by enemy armies as part of chemical warfare. When gas was detected, an alarm was raised and soldiers would put on their gas masks to avoid injuries, such as chemical burns and blindness, or death.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26115
catalog number
26115
accession number
64592
Charcoal sketch on white paper of two American soldiers standing next to a 152 millimeter German field Howitzer. The gun appears to have been left by retreating Germans. The soldiers are in uniform and the soldier at front is standing with his hands on his hips.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper of two American soldiers standing next to a 152 millimeter German field Howitzer. The gun appears to have been left by retreating Germans. The soldiers are in uniform and the soldier at front is standing with his hands on his hips. There is a group of horses and an American soldier behind them to the left, and a large nondescript Howitzer behind them on the right. There are open, rolling fields in the far distance.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26111
catalog number
26111
accession number
64592
Watercolor and pastel on white paper of two six-ton Renault FT-17 tanks (also called "light tanks") climbing a hill. The Renault FT-17 is a two-man tank with the driver seated in front and the gunner standing behind him in the turret.
Description
Watercolor and pastel on white paper of two six-ton Renault FT-17 tanks (also called "light tanks") climbing a hill. The Renault FT-17 is a two-man tank with the driver seated in front and the gunner standing behind him in the turret. The turret is fully rotating and is mounted with a machine gun. The tank's motor compartment is in back. The tank has two tracked drive wheels which allow it to maneuver over rough terrain and a rear tail to help maintain balance when crossing trenches. The Renault is a French tank and is generally considered to be the world's first modern tank.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26110
catalog number
26110
accession number
64592
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Soldiers of an ammunition train have stopped for repairs at a roadside repair station located to the northwest of Château-Thierry. Depicted is a large motor supply truck which is being repaired by an American soldier in the foreground.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Soldiers of an ammunition train have stopped for repairs at a roadside repair station located to the northwest of Château-Thierry. Depicted is a large motor supply truck which is being repaired by an American soldier in the foreground. A group of American soldiers work to repair objects on a makeshift workbench at left. Motor parts and other supply boxes surround them on the ground. Two ambulances with the Red Cross emblems are visible in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26099
catalog number
26099
accession number
64592
Charcoal sketch on white paper of an infantryman with the American Expeditionary Force. Depicted is an American infantry soldier, possibly a Sergeant, sitting on a hill smoking a cigarette with his hands folded in his lap.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper of an infantryman with the American Expeditionary Force. Depicted is an American infantry soldier, possibly a Sergeant, sitting on a hill smoking a cigarette with his hands folded in his lap. He is fully armed with his rifle and bayonet and is wearing a steel helmet and carrying his pack on his back. His face is seen in profile and his eyes are hidden by his helmet.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26109
catalog number
26109
accession number
64592
Charcoal on white paper of two Army ambulances responding to a "hurry call" or emergency summons on the night of May 30, 1918, in the Toul Sector of France. The ambulances (possibly Ford Model T's) have large medical crosses on the side.
Description
Charcoal on white paper of two Army ambulances responding to a "hurry call" or emergency summons on the night of May 30, 1918, in the Toul Sector of France. The ambulances (possibly Ford Model T's) have large medical crosses on the side. American soldiers in uniform march along the road to the right of the ambulances. On the left side of the road, wounded soldiers walk in the opposite direction of the ambulances.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
1918-05
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26125
catalog number
26125
accession number
64592
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Depicted are war refugees from Chateau Thierry, France, entering a town carrying their belongings while American soldiers exit the town as part of an artillery convoy.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Depicted are war refugees from Chateau Thierry, France, entering a town carrying their belongings while American soldiers exit the town as part of an artillery convoy. At left, a woman leads a horse and oxen pulling a carriage stocked with household items and animals. A second woman rides the horse. A few civilian men follow behind them. At right, American soldiers ride horses and carriages away from the town, followed by carts filled with supplies and a large field gun. Trees line the road to the right and houses line the road at left.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26118
catalog number
26118
accession number
64592
Oil painting on canvas shows an American balloon flying over a small village. Two airplanes, one American and one German, are engaged in combat around the balloon. The American plane has red, blue, and white roundels on its wings.
Description
Oil painting on canvas shows an American balloon flying over a small village. Two airplanes, one American and one German, are engaged in combat around the balloon. The American plane has red, blue, and white roundels on its wings. The German plane, with German insignia on the wings, has been shot and is plummeting to the ground. The plane is in pieces and smoke and flames rise into the air.
The slow-moving observation balloons were easy prey for enemy fighter planes and had to be protected by allied planes. If a balloon was hit in battle, the gas in the balloon would catch fire and the balloon pilot would be forced to jump out of the balloon with his parachute. The descending pilot would then have to avoid two dangers: being hit by the burning balloon as it fell to the ground, or being hit by enemy fire from the enemy airplane. Thus, by shooting down the German plane before it could hit the balloon, the American plane gave the balloon pilot a "double escape."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26130
catalog number
26130
accession number
64592
Charcoal on white paper. This sketch depicts an aviator and pilot standing on an overturned Breguet reconnaissance plane, probably a Breguet 14. The two men are reading a map. The plane's underside has camouflage and what appear to be French roundels on its wings.
Description
Charcoal on white paper. This sketch depicts an aviator and pilot standing on an overturned Breguet reconnaissance plane, probably a Breguet 14. The two men are reading a map. The plane's underside has camouflage and what appear to be French roundels on its wings. There is a line of trees in the background at left and a village in the background at right.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26097
catalog number
26097
accession number
64592
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Three American soldiers crouch in a trench. One soldier at left serves as the lookout while one soldier at right listens over the telephone. A third soldier at center holds a roll of telephone wire over his arm.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Three American soldiers crouch in a trench. One soldier at left serves as the lookout while one soldier at right listens over the telephone. A third soldier at center holds a roll of telephone wire over his arm. There is a low fence on top of the hill in the background. A label affixed to the sketch reads: "'Soldiers of the Telephone.' Who stubbornly lay and keep open their wires under shell and machine-gun fire and who, often, well ahead of the tanks and the infantry are the 'eyes' as well as the 'ears' of the advancing columns - keeping Regimental H.Q. at all times in touch with its men."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26124
catalog number
26124
accession number
64592
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Depicted is an American soldier carrying a wounded French soldier on his back. Both men are in uniform and are members of the infantry. Neither men are carrying guns. Signed by the artist at bottom right, "Capt.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Depicted is an American soldier carrying a wounded French soldier on his back. Both men are in uniform and are members of the infantry. Neither men are carrying guns. Signed by the artist at bottom right, "Capt. Harry Townsend, A.E.F, 1918"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26108
catalog number
26108
accession number
64592

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