Special Exhibition ETCHED IN MEMORY To Open Tuesday At National WWI Museum And Memorial

The Great War caused vast destruction across Europe, and in addition to the lives lost in battle, many cultural landmarks were damaged or destroyed.

Opening Tuesday, Sept. 24, Etched in Memory, the latest special exhibition from the National WWI Museum and Memorial, features color etchings by British artist James Alphege Brewer published throughout the Great War as a reminder of the cultural losses it inflicted.

"Our cultural institutions say a lot about who we are as a society," said Jonathan Casey, Director of Archives and the Edward Jones Research Center at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. "It is crucial to understand the Great War's impact on cultural institutions and how that affected society. Etched in Memory provides a window into the cultural tragedies suffered during the Great War."

Brewer's series of etchings were influential. They were begun on the basis of newspaper speculation prior to the German invasion of Belgium and their publication closely followed the events of the war in news from the front. This exhibition features 15 etchings depicting scenes directly affected by the Great War. The etchings are supported by images of destruction and devastation from the Museum and Memorial, juxtaposing the iconic buildings before and after the tragedy of the war. Some of Brewer's war etchings were copied and distributed widely in the United States and could be found hung on parlor walls in solidarity with the Allied cause.

Brewer was raised in an accomplished and artistic British family and studied at the Westminster School of Art before embarking on a career as an artist in the first years of the 20th century. Before and after the war, Brewer's etchings of continental and English cathedrals-Milan, Rouen, Canterbury, Toledo, York Minster, St. Paul's-and views of Oxford and Cambridge and Italian and Scottish lakes focused on scenes that would be of interest to tourists and readers of European history and literature.

Etched in Memory opens Tuesday, Sept. 24 in Ellis Gallery and closes March 1, 2020. This exhibition is on loan from and curated by Benjamin S. Dunham with special collaboration from the Museum and Memorial. The exhibition was made possible with support from the Francis Family Foundation.