Spotlight Exhibit: Reporting from the Western Front during World War I

Spotlight Exhibit in Rare Books and Special Collections: Reporting from the Western Front during World War I

All month-long (August 2014)

Featured is a pictorial news article by the prominent war correspondent, Frederic Villiers (1852-1922), about German entrenchments during the first Battle of Aisne. Villiers was among the early group of war correspondents—forerunners of today’s journalists, such as Richard Engel, who report live from battle zones—who went to the front lines to obtain the most current news. These war correspondents were creating a new art form for news coverage that combined information, personal commentary, and images. Villiers’ illustrated report was published in London as a special pullout section of the October 3, 1914 issue of the Illustrated London News, the first periodical dedicated to graphic news.

This exhibit is one of numerous events across campus this year that commemorate the First World War centenary.