Monday, July 9, 2012

Mastheads for The Camoufleur


In a recent post, we talked about the discovery of three issues of a World War I camp newspaper, called The Camoufleur, published in the fall of 1917 by camouflage artists at Camp American University, near Washington DC. Reproduced above are three different logo-like masthead designs that were variously used in those issues. The top one was used on the front page of the first issue (dated October 31, 1917), and is signed by camouflage artist Walter Tubesing. The one at the bottom (uncredited) was used as the front page masthead for the remaining two issues, and the one in the center (also uncredited) appeared on the editorial page (page 2) of the second issue.

Other camoufleurs listed as having contributed to these issues include (in no particular order) William D. Foster (architect), J.D. Senger, Roy C. Jones (architect), Ralph E. Griswold (architect), Sheldon K. Viele (architect), V.P. Spaulding (architect), Fred H. Daniels (painter), G. Berliner, O. Accorsini, Kimon Nicholaides (drawing teacher, author), Bernard Hoyt (architect), I. Opfer, Everett A. Herter (architect and brother of diplomat Christian Herter), C.A. Lee, David C. Comstock (architect), (Wilmer) Bruce Rabenold (architect), Barry Faulkner (muralist and cousin of Abbott H. Thayer), Clifford C. Jones (architect), W. Pow (the unit's Sergeant Major), W. Nice, A.E. Cheeseman, B.L. Burman, S.N. Hartel (architect).

Other camoufleurs are also mentioned, but were apparently not on the newspaper staff. We'll be back with more names, graphic delights and juicy new discoveries in future postings. (Thanks again to librarian Nancy Cunningham for having shared these issues with us.)