Original German WWII Decorated Eastern Front Wooden Keepsake Box, As Featured In The Book “Trench Art, An Illustrated History” by Jane Kimball on Pages 336 & 352 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war, or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term ‘trench art’ is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.

Reference books are an essential part of any collector’s knowledge and growth in their particular field of interest. The 2004 book “Trench Art, An Illustrated History” by Jane Kimball is a comprehensive study of Trench Art and does a wonderful job in presenting the historical context of trench art throughout history. The book covers about 400 pages and includes hundreds of illustrations as well as mountains of primary source material and original photographs that document the evolution, styles and construction of the trench art genre. This piece can be found on page 336, as well as on page 352, figure 12.73.

The caption from the page is a lovely description:

Box made from scrap wood. Decorated in ink with the badge of the German National Work Force, a German helmet, and inscription in German, “Russland” “Charkow 1942”, and “Kurt.” 9¾ in. wide by 3 in. high by 5¾ in. deep.

We attempted to read the inscription on the lower left corner, but unfortunately were not able to. From the looks of it, the markings were made with pencil and possibly a red wax pencil, which would be used on maps during the WWII period. The box is in very good condition, though the lid is missing the left side.

This is a wonderful item and it displays very well! Comes more than ready for further research and display.