Description:

Albert Sheldon Pennoyer
American, (1888-1957)
mountainous landscape
lithograph
Signed in the print.

Biography from the Archives of askART: In a book that he wrote about railroads, Pennoyer (1954) recalls his experiences in World War I as an American Army camouflage artist in the 40th Engineers Camouflage Corps that was formed in 1917.

He describes in particular a fundraising event at the New Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 1918. The event was a Camouflage Ball, described by newspapers at the time as "a riot of color, costume and cabaret." Among those attending that event were President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, and other society leaders. According to an article in the Washington Times (1918), "The larger ballroom will be devoted to the ball itself, and to some of the stunts the camoufleurs are to pull [after they arrive in France]." The news article is accompanied by a photograph of five of the camouflage artists (two whom are John Calhoun Rambeau and illustrator Saul Tepper), dressed in paint-smeared smocks with decorated hats shaped like painters' palettes. According to Pennoyer, he was asked by his commanding officer, Captain Aymar Embury II "to build a model of a railroad field gun which he wished to use as a centerpiece for his dinner table when he entertained a number of his officers and men before the opening of the ball… Sash pulleys for wheels, heavy cardboard mailing tubes for the gun barrel, plenty of quick-drying camouflage paint and moss representing the grass along the roadbed, tied in fairly closely with all we could see in a photograph we had of a railway gun in France."

Later that year, Pennoyer's unit sailed to France, where he and several others (with Sherry Edmundson Fry in the lead) were assigned by Embury to function as the liaison to the French Army's camouflage section. In his book, Pennoyer recalls the challenge of having to camouflage a massive, fourteen-inch naval railway gun, with a firing range of thirty miles.

Sources:
Albert Sheldon Pennoyer, Locomotives in Our Lives: Railroad Experiences of Three Brothers for More Than Sixty Years, 1890-1951. New York: Hastings House, 1954.
"A(lbert) Sheldon Pennoyer" entry in Roy R. Behrens, Camoupedia: A Compendium of Research on Art, Architecture and Camouflage. Dysart, Iowa: Bobolink Books, 2009.
Anon, "They're All Ready for the Camouflage Ball Tonight," in Washington Times. March 6, 1918, p. 10.

Information submitted by Roy R. Behrens.

  • Dimensions: 16 1/8"H x 21 5/8"W (sheet)
  • Medium: lithograph

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Successful bidders will receive an invoice following the auction that will include payment details. Please check your spam/junk folder if you do not receive an invoice. After payment is made, your order will go to shipping. You will be sent a separate invoice for shipping once your initial invoice is paid and your items are packed and ready to ship. We guarantee that we will provide the highest standards in packing and handling available, in a time frame that allows attention to every detail to protect the items you have purchased.
Please let us know if you would like to arrange your own shipping or if you would like your items packed in a particular way.
It will ask you to verify your address before paying by credit card. Large or fragile items will require a third party shipper. If you do not require shipping, please contact the office 317-251-5635 to arrange a time to pick up your order.

October 28, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Indianapolis, IN, US

Ripley Auctions

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $199 $20
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 + $2,500