No Man's Land -- St. Mihiel Drive

Kerr Eby

1919 · Mezzotint and drypoint · Drawings and Prints

In 1917, soon after America entered the war, Eby enlisted in the army after being denied a commission as a war artist. He drove an ambulance and, later, produced camouflage for artillery. Eby’s unit was part of the 1918 Saint-Mihiel Drive depicted here, an important American counteroffensive against the German army in northeastern France. Strong winds and driving rain made roads difficult to maneuver and tanks inoperable. Eby’s scene emphasizes the dark, heavy cloud that seemed to accompany the advancing American troops, which German soldiers later referred to as a "cloud of blood." Eby returned to the subject in a 1934 print.

Artist

Kerr Eby

Date

1919

Medium

Mezzotint and drypoint

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Phyllis Brevoort Eby, 1962