A preview of 10 highlights from the Honorat Collection, consisting of nearly 200 examples of amateur French stereography of the Great War.
Highlights from the Honorat Negatives (dans la région de VERDUN)
The Second Battle of Verdun: Scorched Earth Around Esnes-en-Argonne 1917
A month-long French offensive known as the Second Battle of Verdun is the subject of this 10-slide series put out by the SDV division of LSU. Featuring scenes from the recaptured regions surrounding Esnes, the series really portrays the devastation caused by 4 million shells impacting a region localized around a few miles of space.
“My Shelter at 36th Artillery Regiment”, Verdun, 1918
4 "digital prints" from negatives of life in the camp of the 36th Artillery Regiment stationed in Saint Airy Forest at Verdun in January 1918 show snowbound soldiers near one's shelter - as well as a peek into the shelter itself!
One-shot #20: A 75 in action at Verdun
A look at the Canon de 75 mm Modele 1897, in use for almost a century, and the central role it played in defending the Meuse Heights in 1916 at the Battle of Verdun.
Acquisition: Brentano’s “Verdun”
A new box of slides from Brentano's - stamped "Verdun" on the front - gives me the opportunity to make some side-by-side comparisons of both duplicate and same-subject images from my collection.
One-shot #7: Tranchée des Baïonnettes, Verdun
The Tranchée des Baïonnettes - where 21 men of the 137th Infantry's 3 Company were supposedly buried alive, with only their bayonets poking out above the earth - was photographed after it was excavated during the planning phases of the 1920 monument built on the site.