Germany in War Time. What an American Girl Saw and Heard

McAuley, Mary Ethel.

Published by Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1917.

About this Item

During World War I, journalist and painter Mary Ethel McAuley (1882 Ð 1971) spent two years in Germany as a correspondent for the Pittsburgh Post-Dispatch. Her time in Germany resulted in not only extensive investigative reporting on wartime life, but also numerous paintings based on her personal observations. In 2020, the University of Pittsburgh hosted an exhibit of McAuleyÕs paintings, which the university website describes as such: ÒThe paintings that form the core of this exhibition were created around 1919 to illustrate McAuleyÕs first-hand account of life in wartime Germany. McAuleyÕs paintings depict scenes that she witnessed as an American woman. Her paintings depict German soldiers in uniform standing alongside chimney sweeps in town squares, women shoveling coal, mothers and children alone on the streets while fathers and brothers were on the front line. She captures the nuances of quotidian life at that time, paying special attention to women in wartime.Ó Along with her descriptions of labor and industry, McAuley also details the economic hardships of wartime, including the rationing, dramatic inflation, and shortages of food and supplies faced by civilians. She also highlights the experiences of wounded soldiers returning from battle, prisoners of war in Germany, and refugees seeking shelter in the country. Octavo. 297 pp. With over a hundred full- and half-page photo reproductions, particularly highlighting industry, manufacturing, and commerce in Berlin during the war. Includes many photos of women at work (as carriage drivers, mail carriers, surveyors, laborers, and more). PublisherÕs blue cloth with white printed paper labels. Binding is clean and attractive. A fine, bright copy, scarce in the original dust jacket, illustrated in color by the author (very good). First edition. Mary Ethel McAuley: Behind the German Lines. University of Pittsburgh exhibition (February 13-March 28, 2020). Accessed on the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery website. Seller Inventory # 17445

Bibliographic Details

Title: Germany in War Time. What an American Girl ...

Publisher: Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1917.

Binding: Hardcover

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

Edition: 1st Edition