Author Archives: Ariel Pate

Photographer and Soldier

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At the start of World War I, in 1914, Edward Steichen was a pioneering champion of fine-art photography—he had a leading reputation in the Photo-Secession movement in New York and had cofounded its trailblazing journal Camera Work. Yet by the early 1920s, Steichen had rejected the soft-focus, dreamy landscapes and portraits of his early years in favor of realist photographs made for informational purposes or popular consumption. This turning point was first signaled by Steichen’s role in World War I as chief of the Photographic Section of the American Expeditionary Forces and was fully realized in his subsequent work as lead photographer at Condé Nast Publications, from 1923 to 1937.

Outbreak of War, 1914–1917

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Steichen, who had come to regard France as a second homeland, was quick to enlist once the U.S. officially entered the war in 1917. Though at 38 he was eight years older than the age limit set by the Signal Corps, his experience as a photographer made him a valuable recruit, and he entered active duty in July 1917 as a first lieutenant.

The First World War, sometimes called the first “modern” war, was marked by groundbreaking advances in technology, including photography. Though Steichen intended to be “a photographic reporter, as Mathew Brady had been in the Civil War,” he quickly abandoned this romantic notion to help implement one of the newest weapons of war—aerial photography.[1] Taking images from airplanes made it possible not only to observe a wide swath of the battlefield, but also to track daily changes on the front lines.

The French and British militaries had made great advances with this technology for intelligence purposes, yet the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) had no established program. Steichen was assigned to the newly formed Photographic Section, led by Major James Barnes, and together they oversaw the training and outfitting of aerial-photography and surveillance units that would prove their usefulness over the course of the war. Steichen also worked to standardize print sizes, materials, cameras, and plates across the various national armies in order to simplify the cooperation between the Allied forces.

Photographic Section, Air Service, AEF. Major Steichen and Base Photo Section at Headquarters, Air Service, Paris, France, c. 1918. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Photographic Section, Air Service, AEF. Major Steichen and Base Photo Section at Headquarters, Air Service, Paris, France, c. 1918. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

 
[1] Edward Steichen, A Life in Photography (Doubleday, 1963), chap. 5, n.p.

UNTITLED ALBUM OF WORLD WAR I PHOTOGRAPHS, 1918/19

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All photographs taken by the Photographic Section, U.S. Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), 1918/19
Album assembled by Major Edward J. Steichen, A.S.A. (American, born Luxembourg, 1879–1973) in 1919

83 gelatin silver prints
Gift of William Kistler, 1977.678–760

Plate titles are based on Steichen’s own written captions of the photographs. More detailed inscription information and research on the photographs can be found by clicking on the album pages. For a complete list of the album plates, click here.

The map below shows the sites featured in the album, places Steichen was stationed while serving in the AEF, and the shifting Western Front during the last months of the war.

This map illustrates the approximate location of sites featured in the album, places where Steichen was stationed while serving in the AEF, and the shifting Western Front during the last months of the war. Numbered locations correspond to plate numbers in the album.

Click to enlarge the map

Plate List

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All photographs taken by the Photographic Section, U.S. Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), 1918/19
Album assembled and annotated by Major Edward J. Steichen, A.S.A. (American, born Luxembourg, 1879–1973) in 1919

83 gelatin silver prints
Gift of William Kistler, 1977.678–760

Plate 2. Untitled [Vauquois]

Plate 2. Untitled [Vauquois]

Plate 3. Ruins of Apremont (St. Mihiel Sector)

Plate 3. Ruins of Apremont (St. Mihiel Sector)

Plate 4. East of Avocourt (Argonne)

Plate 4. East of Avocourt (Argonne)

Plate 5. Vertical photograph, Nomeny

Plate 5. Vertical photograph, Nomeny

Plate 6. German Frontline Trenches (St. Mihiel Sector)

Plate 6. German Frontline Trenches (St. Mihiel Sector)

Plate 7. In Château Thierry Sector

Plate 7. In Château Thierry Sector

Plate 8. U.S. bombing airplane

Plate 8. U.S. bombing airplane

Plate 9. U.S. bombing airplane

Plate 9. U.S. bombing airplane

Plate 10. Ruins of Forges (Argonne)

Plate 10. Ruins of Forges (Argonne)

Plate 11. Moulins-lès-Metz

Plate 11. Moulins-lès-Metz

Plate 12. Enlargement of preceding plate

Plate 12. Enlargement of preceding plate

Plate 13. Fismes (Château Thierry Sector), oblique photo

Plate 13. Fismes (Château Thierry Sector), oblique photo

Plate 14. Fismes, vertical photos [Château Thierry Sector]

Plate 14. Fismes, vertical photos [Château Thierry Sector]

Plate 15. Camps des Romains (St. Mihiel)

Plate 15. Camps des Romains (St. Mihiel)

Plate 16. Fort Alvensleben (near Metz)

Plate 16. Fort Alvensleben (near Metz)

Plate 17. Mine Craters Combres Hill

Plate 17. Mine Craters Combres Hill

Plate 18. St. Mihiel (winter)

Plate 18. St. Mihiel (winter)

Plate 19. Untitled

Plate 19. Untitled

Plate 20. Sedan

Plate 20. Sedan

Plate 21. Sedan

Plate 21. Sedan

Plate 22. Set of consecutive photographs [Germany]

Plate 22. Set of consecutive photographs [Germany]

Plate 23. Same as preceding plate [Germany]

Plate 23. Same as preceding plate [Germany]

Plate 24. A photographic map, forest of Apremont [St. Mihiel Sector]

Plate 24. A photographic map, forest of Apremont [St. Mihiel Sector]

Plate 25. Montsec [St. Mihiel Sector]

Plate 25. Montsec [St. Mihiel Sector]

Plate 26. Ruins of Malancourt (Argonne Sector)

Plate 26. Ruins of Malancourt (Argonne Sector)

Plate 27. Concrete landing platform, Puxieux

Plate 27. Concrete landing platform, Puxieux

Plate 28. Ruins of Montfaucon (Argonne Sector)

Plate 28. Ruins of Montfaucon (Argonne Sector)

Plate 29. Montfaucon [Argonne Sector]

Plate 29. Montfaucon [Argonne Sector]

Plate 30. Montfaucon (winter) [Argonne Sector]

Plate 30. Montfaucon (winter) [Argonne Sector]

Plate 31. Bouresches wood (Château Thierry Sector)

Plate 31. Bouresches wood (Château Thierry Sector)

Plate 32. Untitled [Vaux]

Plate 32. Untitled [Vaux]

Plate 33. Vaux before American attack

Plate 33. Vaux before American attack

Plate 34. Untitled [Vaux]

Plate 34. Untitled [Vaux]

Plate 35. Vaux after German retreat

Plate 35. Vaux after German retreat

Plate 36. Château Thierry

Plate 36. Château Thierry

Plate 37. Vauquois mine Craters (Argonne Sector)

Plate 37. Vauquois mine Craters (Argonne Sector)

Plate 38. Untitled [Montmedy]

Plate 38. Untitled [Montmedy]

Plate 39. Untitled [Montmedy]

Plate 39. Untitled [Montmedy]

Plate 40. Bomb dropped from airplane

Plate 40. Bomb dropped from airplane

Plate 41. Incendiary bombs, exploding antiaircraft shells

Plate 41. Incendiary bombs, exploding antiaircraft shells

Plate 42. Verdun

Plate 42. Verdun

Plate 43. Verdun

Plate 43. Verdun

Plate 44. Fort Vaux (near Verdun)

Plate 44. Fort Vaux (near Verdun)

Plate 45. Fort Douaumont (near Verdun)

Plate 45. Fort Douaumont (near Verdun)

Plate 46. Untitled

Plate 46. Untitled

Plate 47. American Observation Airplane

Plate 47. American Observation Airplane

Plate 48. French Pursuit or Combat Plane

Plate 48. French Pursuit or Combat Plane

Plate 49. Untitled [Otho Cushing drawing]

Plate 49. Untitled [Otho Cushing drawing]

Plate 50. Frontline trenches (Apremont)

Plate 50. Frontline trenches (Apremont)

Plate 51. Interpretation of preceding picture [Apremont]

Plate 51. Interpretation of preceding picture [Apremont]

Plate 52. Gercourt-et-Drillancourt (Argonne)

Plate 52. Gercourt-et-Drillancourt (Argonne)

Plate 53. Photography from 20,000 ft.

Plate 53. Photography from 20,000 ft.

Plate 54. Enlarged detail of preceding plate

Plate 54. Enlarged detail of preceding plate

Plate 55. Pagny rail head

Plate 55. Pagny rail head

Plate 56. Captured enemy photograph, Colombey-les-Belles

Plate 56. Captured enemy photograph, Colombey-les-Belles

Plate 57. German photograph, Seicheprey

Plate 57. German photograph, Seicheprey

Plate 58. Stages of a new German airdrome [Giraumont]

Plate 58. Stages of a new German airdrome [Giraumont]

Plate 59. Untitled [Mars-la-Tour]

Plate 59. Untitled [Mars-la-Tour]

Plate 60. Progressive destruction of a farm

Plate 60. Progressive destruction of a farm

Plate 61. Enemy gun position

Plate 61. Enemy gun position

Plate 62. Same position as preceding

Plate 62. Same position as preceding

Plate 63. Cathedral at Tours

Plate 63. Cathedral at Tours

Plate 64. Map of Tours

Plate 64. Map of Tours

Plate 65. Untitled [Ourches]

Plate 65. Untitled [Ourches]

Plate 66. Tours Aviation School

Plate 66. Tours Aviation School

Plate 67. American Embarkation Camp, Bordeaux

Plate 67. American Embarkation Camp, Bordeaux

Plate 68. Untitled [Souge]

Plate 68. Untitled [Souge]

Plate 69. U.S. Motor overhaul park, Dijon

Plate 69. U.S. Motor overhaul park, Dijon

Plate 70. Untitled [Souge]

Plate 70. Untitled [Souge]

Plate 71. Untitled [Saint-Jean-de-Monts]

Plate 71. Untitled [Saint-Jean-de-Monts]

Plate 72. Untitled [Brest]

Plate 72. Untitled [Brest]

Plate 73. Untitled [Brest]

Plate 73. Untitled [Brest]

Plate 74. 10,000 Beds [Souge]

Plate 74. 10,000 Beds [Souge]

Plate 75. Untitled [Port of Bordeaux]

Plate 75. Untitled [Port of Bordeaux]

Plate 76. Untitled [Meucon]

Plate 76. Untitled [Meucon]

Plate 77. American advance supply depot, Dijon

Plate 77. American advance supply depot, Dijon

Plate 78. Large Supply Center near Tours

Plate 78. Large Supply Center near Tours

Plate 79. Untitled [General John J. Pershing]

Plate 79. Untitled [General John J. Pershing]

Plate 80. Untitled [Fort Alexander, Koblenz]

Plate 80. Untitled [Fort Alexander, Koblenz]

Plate 81. Untitled [Burg Maus on Rhine]

Plate 81. Untitled [Burg Maus on Rhine]

Plate 82. Untitled [Marksburg Castle]

Plate 82. Untitled [Marksburg Castle]

Plate 83. Untitled [Niederspay]

Plate 83. Untitled [Niederspay]

Plate 84. The Rhine

Plate 84. The Rhine

Steichen after the War

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After serving with the AEF, Steichen would depart from the painterly aesthetics of Pictorialism. He fully embraced commercial work, and the technical precision required by wartime photography can be seen in his commercial images, which blur the lines between celebrity portraiture, fashion photography, and advertising. With the start of World War II, he would reenlist, overseeing a photographic unit tasked with documenting the activities of the Naval Air Force.