Bavarian Soldier's Wall Plaque

[Avitas]

Hello there,

I have had this unique Bavarian soldier's wall plaque for a while and still have some questions about it as this era is not my area of expertise. It has the date 1900 on the left side with a picture of "F.Wilh.Schmidt" in his uniform, and on the right I assume it is a picture of old Willy Schmidt in his civilian clothes with the date 1902. There are some nice little golden touches, and it is made of old cigar boxes as I was told by the gent who sold me this (the good dealer in Kelowna for those that are following my posts ). This piece is very fragile so I keep it in my cabinet, also to keep dust off it. I wonder if these are common or if anyone else has something similar to compare? This soldier was in the Bavarian army I assume from the blue and white guards shack accessories and his uniform. If anyone can lend some expertise in identifying this item further or has any background information about the Bavarian army late 19th century and how it relates to this soldier pictured and the plaque, please feel free to lend a hand. I like this piece and I didn't pay an exorbatant amount for it, so it is a nice little niche item in my collection.

Cheers and thanks for any help,

Pat

[Avitas]

Here is a little closer up pic of some of the details. This piece also has the city of Metz on it as well as the initials "L B" on either side of the city name. Maybe a regiment title?

Cheers,

Pat

[Avitas]

..and finally the pic of the soldier in his uniform and civilian clothes. I am not sure if "F.Wilh.Schmidt" is the soldiers name or the name of the photographer. I have a hunch this was made by one of the soldiers family members (mother?wife?) as it is in a heart shape, but that could be just a coincidence. Any help and general comments on this item are very welcomed!

Cheers,

Pat

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Pat,

all I can add is:

the printed name on the bottom of the picture is the name and address of the photogrepher.

1900 to 1902 might be a record of his service, obviously pre WW1, so he might have been on the reserve list.

Just another thought, Bavarian soldiers uniforms were a light Blue?? this guy seems to be in Dark Blue, maybe he is not a Bavarian.

Metz is now located in France, please see a little I found on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz

Metz and the Franco-Prussian War.

During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 Metz was the headquarters and rendezvous of the third French Army Corps under Bazaine. Through the operations of the German army, Bazaine, after the battles of Colombey, Mars-la-Tour, and Gravelotte (14-18 August) was besieged in Metz. The German army of investment was commanded by Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia; as the few sorties of the garrison were unable to break the German lines, Metz was forced to surrender (27 October), with the result that 6000 French officers and 170,000 men were taken prisoners.

By the Treaty of Frankfurt of 1871, Metz became a German city, and was made a most important garrison and a strong fortress. Despite the departure of many inhabitants who fled to France to avoid living under German rule, Metz nonetheless expanded and transformed during the period of German rule. The fortifications on the south and east were levelled in 1898, securing space for growth and development. Some large neo-Romanesque buildings typical of the German empire appeared in the city.

20th century Metz:

Following the armistice with Germany ending the First World War, the French army entered Metz in November 1918 to great cheering from the population, which had always remained attached to France, and the city was returned to France at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

Metz was again annexed by Germany between 1940 and 1944 during the Second World War, and was liberated in November 1944 by the French and American armies.

Nowadays, the military importance of Metz has decreased, and the city has diversified its economic base. Expansion has continued in the recent decades despite the economic crisis that besets the rest of Lorraine.

Also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortifications_of_Metz

Kevin in Deva

Edited August 31, 2006 by Kev in Deva

[Daniel Murphy]

Pat,

VERY nice piece. I have NEVER seen a "tramp art" German reservist piece. Thats a great item on so many levels. I believe the "L" "B" are his initials and the 1900-1902 are his time of service before passing to the reserve. Since Metz was in the occupied Alsace Lorraine, this was a Reichs territory and as such units from all over Germany were stationed there. There were 3 Bavarian units stationed in Metz; 4th Infantry Regt. , 8th Infantry Regt. and the 2nd Foot Artillery. The foot artillery wore white boards, but he should have served three years before becoming a reservist in the artillery. Were he in the Infantry he would have served two years as shown, but their boards were red with a number. With white boards with what looks like a 2 (plus the dark collar on the uniform), it would appear he was with the 2nd Foot Artillery. I have no explanation for him only serving 2 years unless this was all that was required for Bavarian Artillery.

Dan

Here is some info on "Tramp Art".

"This relatively little known form of folk art, called "tramp art," was produced by these anonymous skilled artisans in the hobo jungles of the U.S. but was introduced in the early 1860s by the German and Scandinavian Wanderbuersons, or wandering apprentices. These men popularized chip carving as they traveled the countryside in search of jobs or in the pursuit of the vagabond life.

Chip carving had been used as a method of decorating wooden objects in Europe almost since the beginning of time. By using any sharp-edged tool, but most often a pocketknife, small chips of wood were removed from a larger piece to form geometric patterns. A simple V could be cut on the edge of a piece of wood, or an elaborate gouge covering a large surface could be used for more elaborate decoration. In the hobo jungles, it became commonplace for the trampers to combine chip carving and whittling when using their pocketknife on cigar boxes.

The availability of cigar-box wood was a major factor in the production of tramp art. In the 1850s, the wooden cigar box came into use both in the United States and Europe. Since it was difficult to ship cigars cheaply and easily for packing into boxes, wherever cigars were made, cigar boxes were made nearby.

At the turn of the twentieth century, cigar smoking was at its height because cigars were considered symbols of masculinity and affluence. Success bred competition, and competition meant advertising. As a result, cigars were magnificently boxed. Revenue laws did not permit the boxes to be used a second time for cigars, so enterprising souls found new uses for the boxes. Since the boxes were plentiful and easily carved, ornamenting them by chip carving became popular.

This technique of chip carving consisted of notching and layering, with each succeeding layer being a little smaller than the preceding one, to create a pyramidal design. One cigar box or many cigar boxes could be used for the frame of the piece as well as performing the decorative function. Either way, the carver had to have a great deal of time and patience to create his finished product. He had to notch-carve each individual piece of wood many times. Then he had to layer the individual notch-carved pieces of wood into some kind of recognizable object. And then he had to decide if he wanted to add further decorations to the piece. One of the most fascinating aspects of tramp art is the evident desire of the carver to produce detailed and often very skilled work with only make-do and simple tools. This layering of piece upon piece was done for decorative purposes, because it was felt that many layers of wood were more interesting-looking than just one layer."

Edited August 31, 2006 by Daniel Murphy

[Avitas]

Thank you Daniel for that excellent information, right down to the shoulder board detective work to find out he was in the 2nd Foot Artillery in the Metz garrrison I had to buy this piece at the flea market about a year ago when I saw it, and it is nice to know it is a piece of "Tramp Art". I am going to research this type of art when I get some days off and keep an eye out for it from now on. It is neat how it is a blending of militaria and art, very interesting as I said in the title of the post. If anyone else has more to add please do and thanks again to Daniel for the sleuthing and expertise

Cheers,

Pat