From the exhibition
Billeting Village Near Neufchâteau, Farm Building
War Department · 1918
William James Aylward's 1918 drawing documents a French farmhouse designated for military billeting during World War I. Executed in charcoal, ink wash, and gouache, the architectural sketch captures the stone structure with careful attention to detail—the pitched roof with deteriorating tiles, tall chimneys, small windows, and accumulated weathering. A large boulder sits in the foreground. The rendering combines precise architectural observation with subtle atmospheric effects, typical of military survey drawings commissioned to record potential quartering sites. Such works served practical logistical purposes while preserving the appearance of structures across occupied territories.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com CC0
