Friday, November 08, 2013

Something for the Weekend: from La Vie Parisienne



Who says that wargamers don't get the girl?  Well, this young lady doesn't seem to mind that her friend has a table full of toy soldiers but then again he is in uniform, which many women seem to find irresistible.  The Legatus' mother wanted him to join the Royal Navy, largely because of the uniform, but fortunately I did an aptitude test during school careers week.  It showed I was completely unsuited to an armed forces career on account of the fact that I was incapable of taking orders.

This being a 1915 illustration from saucy French magazine, La Vie Parisienne, which often got its illustrators to produce pictures of its pin up girls in appropriately morale raising ways, the German soldier is surrendering to his French adversary.




This picture is by Georges Léonnec (1881-1940).  The son of a cartoonist he was already doing newspaper illustrations by the age of twelve.  He began his long association with La Vie Parisienne in 1907.  Called up into the French army in 1914 his job in ancilliary services in Brest was far from the front line and enabled him to continue his illustration work; the effects of which on troop morale were no doubt more worthwhile than service as a poilu.

2 comments:

  1. A rather charming second picture there, if it were not for the odd hat, it could be appealing ;-)

    "Something for the weekend" - always reminds me of that in-pharmacy joke, that is probably mostly urban myth but no doubt has on occasion happened... Pharmacist partly overhears young female trainee talking to a customer... customer leaves without making a purchase... "What was that gentleman after?", asks the pharmacist... "Oh he wanted a packet of French letters, I told him to try the Post Office..."
    Charming in it own way... ;-)

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