A Battle Near Volodymyr-Volynsky (present-day Ukraine). Odessa: F. Shauer and V. Smrkovskii Lithography, 1914.
This print showing a battle near Volodymyr-Volynsky (present-day Ukraine) is from the collection of World War I lubok posters held at the British Library. The caption explains: "Enemy artillery, firing over its own cavalry, shelled the trenches in front of the city occupied by our troops. The Austrians were quickly approaching. A terrible moment arrived. Hungarian cavalry, arrayed in a wide semi-circle in front of the city, bravely raced forward. It seemed that after a few minutes they would enter the city. But loud sounds and strange crackling were heard: machine guns from our trenches started firing, and something terrible and unforgettable happened. Cavalrymen fell like mowed grass. Horses fell at full speed and falling riders were seen tumbling several times to the ground. The screams of dying people, horses neighing, and the moaning of dying men were heard. Within three minutes the cavalrymen dashing into attack turned into a pile of bodies, and individual riders rushed back to their own lines in frantic terror." Lubok is a Russian word for popular prints created from woodcuts, engravings, etchings, or later, by using lithography. The prints were often characterized by simple, colorful graphics depicting a narrative, and could also include text. Lubok gained popularity in Russia beginning in the late 17th century. The prints, which often depicted narratives from a historical event, literature, or a religious tale, were used to make such stories accessible to illiterate people.
Size: 5748px × 4491px
Location: Europe
Photo credit: © Bill Waterson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: army, art, battle, battles, casualties, death, destruction, fear, great, guns, illustration, lubok, military, narrative, odessa, operations, painting, poster, posters, print, prints, realistic, russia, russian, soldiers, ukraine, vintage, vladimir-volynsk, volynsk, war, weapons, world, wwi
