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On the Gas Alert

National Museum of American History
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Object Details

associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
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
Credit Line
War Department. Historical Branch of the General Staff
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
ID Number
AF.26115
catalog number
26115
accession number
64592
Object Name
Sketch
Physical Description
charcoal (overall production method/technique)
paper (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 17 1/4 in x 23 1/4 in; 43.815 cm x 59.055 cm
See more items in
Political and Military History: Armed Forces History, Military
Military
Official Art from the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I
Art
National Museum of American History
related event
World War I
Record ID
nmah_448123
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a2-81ed-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
Sketch by Harry Townsend, 1918, On the Gas Alert
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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