Mid-Week Pictorial

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of World War I.  While looking through stacks of old newspaper I found three of these pull-out sections from 1915 issues of the New York Times.  They contain photo essays depicting scenes from war-torn Europe. 

 

 

There is a ton of interesting information in these photos.  In 1915 America had already declared its neutrality in the Great War.  President Woodrow Wilson asked American citizens to be neutral “in thought and deed”.  The New York Times at first look seems to be complying.  In the photo to the left you can see pictures from the fortifications of both sides of the war. 

 

 

 

Although President Wilson requested neutrality, many Americans were eager to enter the war.  Here in the Northeast most people were sympathetic to the British and French cause.  The New York Times appears to be giving some preference to this side.  The centerfold of the newspaper highlights the faces of the Belgian royal children.  The German invasion of Belgium brought Great Britain into the war.  I would guess that the New York Times was trying to bring some sympathy to the Allies by choosing these photos for the centerfold.

 

 

 

 

Of course, two years after these pictures were published the U.S. did join in the Great War on the side of the Allies.  The U.S. helped to bring an end to the destruction of the continent.  This photo shows interior shots from the destruction of a church in rural France.   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

World War I really did effect the whole world.  Pictures in this collection show troops from the Ottoman Empire, Romania, India, and Egypt.  The New York Times managed to catch scenes from all of the different theatres of war.



These are just some of the newspapers we have in our collection.  We have around two hundred newspapers ranging in age from 1775 to 1970.  Come on in to PHS to check out our archives and I'm sure we'll find something interesting to show you.  Hope to see you soon.

 

Patricia