Goofy vintage photos of World War One soldiers posing with fake military props, 1914-1930

Professor of Art History and Anthropology at Connecticut College, Christopher B. These military illustrations collected by Steiner capture moments of soldiers going goofy while posing with fake military props.

Some images appear to have been staged to enhance idiocy; While others are presented with an almost comical self-seriousness. Momentarily removed from the brutality and absurdity of war, these souvenir pictures capture moments of camaraderie and humanity.

Most of the soldiers depicted are German, the rest are from France, the United States, Belgium, and they range from the beginning of World War I to the end of World War II.

From the late nineteenth century, photo studios used fake airplanes, tanks, automobiles, trains, and other useless military props for their photoshoots. These photos were meant as mementos for soldiers' friends and families to send home.

The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was approximately 40 million: estimates place between 15 and 22 million deaths and approximately 23 million wounded military personnel, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.

The total number of deaths includes between 9 and 11 million military personnel. The civilian death toll was around 6 to 13 million. The Triple Entente (also known as the Allies) lost about 6 million military personnel, while the Central Powers lost about 4 million.

At least 20 lakh died of diseases and 60 lakh went missing, which were presumed dead. About two-thirds of military deaths in World War I were in combat, in contrast to conflicts in the 19th century, when most deaths were due to disease.

Nevertheless, illness, including the 1918 flu pandemic and deaths as prisoners of war, still accounts for about a third of total military deaths for all combatants.