The blue coat and red trousers challenge the usual visual shorthand for a Foreign Legion soldier. This Del Prado figure belongs to 1914 and offers a useful introduction to the Legion’s wartime volunteers in France.
The long blue coat, covered helmet and carried rifle make this corporal recognisably different from Del Prado’s French 1914 subjects. The figure is a compact study of the appearance associated with Verdun and the middle years of the war.
The khaki cap and service dress replace the ceremonial image many readers associate with the Guards. Del Prado’s lieutenant shows an officer equipped for field service, with observation and personal equipment shaping the pose.
The wing badge and officer’s clothing identify an aviator even without flying goggles or an aircraft. This standing Del Prado subject belongs to the American air service of the First World War, an organisation still within the Army.
The feather bonnet, tartan and bagpipes make this one of the most elaborate silhouettes in the Del Prado First World War group. It is a musician’s portrait, with the instrument and clothing carrying a story different from that of a rifleman.
A steel helmet and grenade-laden equipment identify a different phase of the First World War from the marching Pickelhaube figures. This stormtrooper subject makes the development of specialised assault methods visible in one standing miniature.
The covered fez, bandolier and blue puttees give this Egyptian sergeant a distinctive appearance. His standing pose is useful for studying a desert-service uniform without allowing the animal to dominate the subject.
Del Prado presents Guynemer standing in uniform with his hands in his pockets. The relaxed pose gives a famous aviator a human scale and allows the story to move beyond a tally of victories.
The slouch hat gives this Australian sergeant an immediate national identity, but the date and theatre take the story beyond Gallipoli. This is a figure for the Australian Imperial Force’s fighting in Europe during the final year of the war.
A red fez, voluminous trousers and a short decorated jacket make the Zouave one of Del Prado’s most distinctive 1914 subjects. The silhouette introduces the North African connections of the French Army as well as the changing appearance of soldiers in industrial war.
