Brushes and Bayonets

Brushes and Bayonets

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but during World War I, newspaper illustrations were worth even more, not only conveying the news to anxious families at home and soldiers in battle, but also entertaining and lifting the spirits of a nation at war. This thematic collection of 250 World War I illustrations taken from the archives of the Illustrated London News, including light-hearted strip cartoons and line drawings, poignant sketches and hard-hitting political satire, by both well-known illustrators and the men in the trenches these illustrate the mood and humour of a nation at war. Many of the illustrations included are published for the first time in 90 years, and together they are a unique, bittersweet portrayal of the Great War.