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.

This 3 ¾” x 4 ¾” brass container we believe to be a tobacco container, a common item made and purchased by soldiers on all fronts during WWI. The container is very ornately etched and embossed with great foliage designs with a scroll in the center that reads as:

VOLPRIEZ FERME
JUVIGNY
TUNNEL DE VAUXAILLON
CHEMIN DES DAMES
28 AOUT 18 SEPT
1918

We believe this to be a commemorative item for the three battles fought along the Chemin des Dames, an east-to-west ridge located to the north of Paris. During World War I, the Chemin Des Dames lay in that sector of the Western Front held by the French Army. Its strategic importance made it the staging ground of several major battles that took place between 1914 and 1918. The German army took a defensive stand on the ridge in September 1914, stopping the advancing Allied armies after the Battle of the Marne. After intensive combat, Germans took control of the plateau in November 1914. The front line then remained static until March 1917, during which time several thousand soldiers died in local attacks or coup de main operations. On 25 January 1915 German forces captured the Creute farm (today La Caverne du Dragon or the Dragon's Lair), the last remaining French position on the plateau.

The figure on the lid is marked Le Poilu Grenadier on the base, and shows a Grenadier soldier, about to throw a heavy ball grenade. It measures about 3 ½ inches in height, giving the entire piece an overall height of about 7 ¼ inches.

The canister is in wonderful condition and comes more than ready for further research and display.