World War I: Lessons And Legacies

Smithsonian Poster Exhibition

In honor of America's entry into "The War to End All Wars" in 1917, World War I: Lessons and Legacies will explore the war and its lasting impact and far-reaching influence on American life. Sparked...
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

Balloons and Dirigibles in WWI

Like it did for tanks and gas masks, the First World War spurred scientists and engineers to make advancements in the field of “lighter-than-air” technology – balloons.

Camouflage Violin Case

Second Lieutenant Harry Hinman Sisson, Company E, 309th Engineers, 84th Division, carried a violin with him in France throughout his service in the American Expeditionary Forces.

A Little Birdie Told Me

Arthur Standing was a conscientious objector and did not fight during World War I. Instead, he participated in alternate service with the American Friends Service Committee.

French Mascots - Orphans of the War

American soldiers provided aid to children left behind by the war. Through the army newspaper Stars and Stripes and the American Red Cross, they would symbolically adopt French orphans.