I found this framed print at a car boot sale. I do not know who painted the original picture but it has a slightly surreal feel to it. The soldier, wounded in both the head and the right foot seems to be feeding seagulls at the seaside. The signature of the artist appears inside a star of David in the bottom left hand corner.

I am not an expert at all, but the 'style' of the print seems much more recent than WW1 to me, especially in the depiction of the figure. Also, the image shown appears to have been cropped - implying that it is from a larger composition originally. Just my thoughts in response.

Joanna

Joanna,

thank you for your thoughts. The picture is certainly unusual and may indeed by a detail from a larger picture. I am certain that it depicts a wounded soldier from the Great War as he is wearing a "hospital Blue" uniform complete with red tie. The picture measures approximately 8 inches x 5 inches. It is mounted and is in its original frame.

Simon.

One thing clearly emerging from the current thread on Favourite Great War Paintings is that much of the work done at that time is considerably more 'modern' than many of us may have realised.

Simon

"Hospital Blues" were not exclusive to WW I. I spent eleven months as a patient in a military hospital in Surrey 1946-1947 and all the patients were issued with "hospital blues" and when we were not bed ridden that is what we wore. The only concession was on the two occassions when I was granted "Plaster Leave" I was allowed to go home in my normal khaki uniform.

Tony

Does the signature give a clue? I can't distinguish it on my computer - only the star.

And did Tony wear a red tie during his hospital stay in the forties?

I can't pin down why I feel the picture is more recent than WW1. It's not to do with 'modernity' as such - best to ignore my hunch I think, and keep an open mind...

It certainly is an interesting image.

Joanna

There is quite an extensive thread on Hospital Blues somewhere in the bowels of the forum. They certainly preceded WW1 and were still in use in WW2 and after so your man, based solely on the blues, could have been wounded at any time from the South African war to Korea. The style does have a certain early 30s feel to it so it could represent WW1.

I've got a pair of crutches like the one in the picture, and having just taken a look at the size of their 'footprint', I wouldn't like to rely on one of them for support on a less than hard-packed beach.

Also, you don't need to go right down to the waterline to feed gulls – they are more than happy to come to you.

Joanna

Yes, if we were up patients, we did wear red ties but generally only during Matron's or the Colonel's ward rounds.

The "red star" signature, if it represents The Star of David, suggests that the artist could have been Jewish.

Tony

Slim chance, but can the style, colour and material of the crutch help to pinpoint the era?

Any medical equipment specialists out there?

Regards,
EoB.

They look like the ones I had in 1972. Although we did not wear 'blues' by then.
I often walked along the beach with mine (full leg plaster from toe to 'crutch' ). I even went paddling in the sea.
Probably why it never healed properly

Simon,

No doubt you have looked, but does the frame tell you anything? The print could have been framed at any time, of course. And have you taken the print out of the frame to see if anything is on the back, or hidden by the mount... Does the print finish with a border, or was it cut - perhaps to fit the frame?

Joanna

I have two pairs of wooden crutches, one pair identical to the single crutch in the picture, the other having tensioned gut straps in place of the padded tops. Neither pair is marked/branded or dated, but I have the impression that wooden crutches of this pattern were made and used over a long period of time, so the crutch is unlikely to be much help.

You can browse artists' signatures here. I tried, but can't see the scan closely enough. This would only help if the artist was a known artist.

Another option is to search Google Images with some key words.

Thank you for your comments. I was completely unaware that hospital blue uniforms were not exclusive to the Great War. I have only ever seen photographs of wounded Great War soldiers wearing them. I will take the picture out of the frame as the glass does need a good clean; if there is any further information on the back I will report back. Here is the picture in it's frame.

Up to some time just after the ACW crutches tended to be single pole (ash oak or hickory) cut to length (bespoke crutches). Some time about then the split crutch as shown in the print in question was introduced (a photo of crutches left by pilgrims at Knock in 1879 shows both types). Although the adjustable single metal pole type we see today was first patented in 1918 the wooden split type continued to be used (there is a rare photo of FDR in 1924 with these) right up until the 1950s and possibly later. So I concur with SG that the crutches are not going to help in dating.

There seems to be a general view that this is the sea side, however gulls can be seen well inland (just go to the docks in Gloucester, or the riverside in Worcester or Hereford for example). There is clearly a bank and woods [?] across the water from the soldier. This could well be a lake or reservoir or even a broad river.

I have taken the print out of the frame and there is nothing else behind the mount that reveals the name of the artist or the title of the picture.

Given the small birds (sparrows) around his feet (not beach birds) I would go so far as to venture - not the sea side.

Good observation, Centurion. And, come to think of it, the man is standing right at the water's edge and there's no evident waves or tide ...

So it could be a lake...
I couldn't help thinking of Frensham Ponds here in Surrey which are known for having sandy beaches (see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/582791 more pictures can be found by a searching for 'Frensham Ponds' in Google images)

There were at least two military hospitals nearby (Waverley Abbey House & Frensham Heights) so it's not to difficult to imagine a trip out from them for some fresh air and pleasant scenery to aid recuperation.

The whole scene could, of course, be down to the artists imagination, and not be of anywhere in particular; I'd also be surprised if Frensham is the only place in the UK which has 'ponds' with sandy beaches.

NigelS

The most inland, or furthest from the sea, place in the uk is Coton in the Elms. Just up the road from me, and I can asure you when the weather is bad at sea the fields at the bottom of my garden are inundated with sh**e hawks. So any where in the UK is within range of this bird.

It's the coloured boot/slipper (with a sole) that puzzles me.

Alan

Or even a wide river - both the Wye and the Severn have some streches that look a bit like that. Many rivers have some sandy beaches - even the fast running Teme has a beach in Tenbury Wells (although it's definitely not the one in the picture).

I wonder if this might be Villennes sur Seine, it has areas of riverside not unlike this and it did have a WW1 hospital.

Perhaps he's an officer with gout - Sorry!

It's not at all uncommon, even today, to see someone with a lightly banadged or swollen foot wearing a slipper on that foot as they've got more give than shoes or boots (or, more radically, can easily be cut to allow fitting) - this guy just happened to have a fancy patterned type; wonder if someone else was wearing the left?

NigelS

I live only a few kilometres from Villennes (in fact I caught the train to Paris from there this morning and am playing golf there tomorrow), so I'll see if anywhere matches

as a matter of interest, where was the hospital, and if there were any deaths where were they buried? Nearest place with any CWGC plot that I know of is Saint Germain-en-Laye, but not many graves and mainly 1914, IIRC. There's also Les Gonards at Versailles.

cheers Martin B

Unfortunately all I know having done a search on the place was a reference to a hospital in WW1 and if I read aright it may now be a hotel or something similar (a golf cubhouse? ) I was searching on by the river and hospital and WW1, one hit showed paintings of beaches at the town that looked something like the picture.