En Guerre ― French Illustrators and World War I

With 2014 marking the one-hundredth anniversary of the commencement of World War I, En Guerre offers a fresh, thought-provoking exploration of the impact of the Great War as viewed through the lens of French graphic illustration of the period. Published in conjunction with an exhibition of these illustrations at the University of Chicago Library’s Special Collections Research Center, this catalog draws from illustrated books, magazines, and prints to present a wide range of perspectives on themes essential to a deeper understanding of the war in France: patriotism, nationalism, propaganda, and the soldier’s experience, as well as the mobilization of the French national home front as seen through fashion, music, humor, and children’s literature. With a text by noted historians Neil Harris and Teri J. Edelstein and featuring more than one hundred reproductions of the vivid and colorful work of French illustrators, En Guerre reaffirms the persuasive role that art can play in the service of political and military power.

Neil Harris is the Preston and Sterling Morton Professor of History and Art History Emeritus at the University of Chicago. He is the author of many books, including, most recently, Capital Culture: J. Carter Brown, the National Gallery of Art, and the Reinvention of the Museum Experience, published by the University of Chicago Press. Teri J. Edelstein is an art historian and museum professional. Her scholarly work has focused on the intersection of high art and popular culture. Most recently, she was editor of and contributor to Art for All: British Posters for Transport.