(Photo: Imperial War Museum)
During World War I, soldiers were not always fighting. Sometimes, during idle moments, they might work on crafts using materials at hand. Some of these surviving works demonstrate impressive artistic skills, such as this engraved tobacco jar from the British Imperial War Museum. It was made by a Turkish prisoner of war using a British 13-pound shell case. Did you notice the color variation? That’s from copper and silver wire inlaid into the brass.
You can view more examples of fine trench art at the website of the Imperial War Museum and Collectors Weekly. To examine truly outstanding works in the field, I highly recommend this Flickr photo set.
-via Marcel Ledbetter