1914
28 June : Assassination of Arch Duke François-Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo
1st August : The Order for General Mobilisation in France and Germany
3 August : Germany has declared war in France and Belgium
8-24 August : The German army enters Belgium (a belligerent country)
17-31 October : Battle of Yser
17 October-22 November : Battle of Ypres
Max GEHLSEN, Thiescourt. Kommandantur, 30 December 1914, watercolour on cardboard, gouache highlights, 10.5 x 17 cm
In this watercolour, the artist painted the Kommandantur in the village of Thiescourt. This was located in a private building, no doubt a requisitioned family home. The Kommandanturen were the administrative headquarters of occupied areas. This was where village life was managed when civilians had not been evacuated, such as in Thiescourt and the villages adjoined thereunto, Ville and Cannectancourt. The residents remained in situ and had to pay taxes and suffer the requisitions imposed thereupon.
Departmental archives of Pas-de-Calais 47 FI 116_2
Max GEHLSEN, Portrait of Max GEHLSEN, 1914-1915, monochrome black and white photograph, 5.5 x 5 cm
Seemingly representing the artist, this is one of the personal documents retained in the written notebooks of Max GEHLSEN during his stay in France. It rests alongside three other portraits by the artist at different times. Comparison of this with the watercolour self-portrait shows the importance of photography in the origins of his work.
Departmental archives of Pas-de-Calais 47 FI 142_2
