Ah, Invalides. You must be sick of reading about it on my blog and seeing pictures of the gilded dome which the sight of to me has become synonymous with home. [Other Invalides posts here]. The truth is, this overlooked museum has really grown on me, and this visit has been my favourite so far. Each wing of the museum promises a different insight onto the history of battles and warcraft, and this time Neil and I were to delve into two very different worlds, the first a universe of lances, of medieval knights and shining armour, and the second the dirty history of trenches, grenades and swastikas.
(Above right: A bemused looking knight, Below: A child's suit of armour)
Below: Armour for Unicorns ;)
Helmets that ended up looking amusing rather than terrifying.
Much of the child's armour was designed for King Louis XIV. The amount of skill and patience going into the armour and chain-mail was extraordinary, with some suits taking years to create: Some helmets had clearly been personalised to resemble their owners. You could see where some of the hammered metal had been pierced by a direct stab wound (the metal would only hold up against flat strikes).
Beautifully ornate weaponry from Ancient Chinese Dynasties.
From the seemingly chivalric world of jousts and jesters to the two Great Wars, the science of war had taken massive leaps in some respects and stayed surprisingly basic in others. Below: propaganda handed to soldiers on being conscripted: "Bon pour les filles" or "Exempte" for those who couldn't complete their two year service to the country.
Below: an advert cashing in on the glamour of war: selling cars and bicycles using the poster-boy image of the solider.
My biggest surprise was the armour which had seemingly regressed on the scale of technological advancements - until I realised that even the plates of metal covering the entire body of a medieval knight couldn't withstand a stab from a well-aimed sword, let alone a bullet. Soldiers of the Crimean War and the First World War forewent any kind of protection, save a gilded hat proclaiming their regiment.
"Armour" from around the world: The Americas, England and France.
Collateral damage: a child's doll and a church's weather vane riddled with bullets.
Sculptures made in the trenches out of bullets and scrap metal.
A fighter pilot's penguin discovered in the wreckage of his plane and a bullet crucifix: the personal stories behind the "greatness" of the war.
"Uncle Sam" and De Gaulle's "Appel du 18 Juin" published in L'Echo de Paris.
"Make Love Not War"
Appel du 18 Juin
Jewish stars, Jean Moulin (face of the French Resistance) and a Liberation print dress, polka-dotted with De Gaulle's famous "Appel".
Such a rich and informative visit, which made me sincerely glad to have never lived in a war-torn country. Les Invalides, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon.
À Bientôt !
x
