US WWI, Suberb Doughboy Painted Helmet, 29th Division, Photo Play Girl
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $350.00

Original era manufacture. Painted Doughboy helmets from WWI have long been a favorite of ours, having a small collection of them ourselves, and having had many, many examples passing through our hands over the years. This one, has to rank among the most interesting, and certainly one of the best executed examples of the type we have owned thus far.US made 1917 pattern helmet with only small portions of the liner and chinstrap remaining. The exterior of the helmet is divided into three painted bands; red-white-blhe, with a very nicely done rendition of the 29th Division emblem on the front.Gold leaf lettering, done in a style of a professional sign painter can be seen throughout the surface of the helmet. The central band of white paint displays blue lettering; "To My Photo Play Girl, GYB". This was apparently done twice, with traces of the first lettering appearing faintly on the top of the helmet.The blue band has additional gold leaf lettering Verdun, Alsace-Lorraine, Argonne, with two overseas stripes.During WWI the 29th Division served for nearly a month in the front lines, suffering the loss of nearly 6,000 casualties.      A truly great helmet, well deserving of the term Trench Art.