Name/Title
40mm trench artEntry/Object ID
2024.1010.1Description
1944 manufactured 40mm bofor shell with projectile still attached. Primer removed and casing empty. Relief etching of three women is on the bottom half of the casing. Artist unknown.Context
Servicemembers made sculptures most commonly from discarded ammunition shells of various calibers. The practice became popular during World War One and continued into World War Two. Shells could be reshaped, carved, etched, and soldered into myriad decorative objects.
By the end of World War Two, Battleship Texas had forty 40mm Bofors. While this piece of art was not done on Texas, art like it was.Collection
Historical CollectionsLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Art, TrenchNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication Objects
