Wire Cutters

The Meuse-Argonne offensive began on 26 September 1918. The Germans had an observation post at Montfaucon that the Allies needed to destroy. The terrain surrounding the area had been well fortified with barbed wire, and the American forces had to cut their way through these obstacles. Hornby aptly captioned his etching: “In the enemy’s wire near Montfaucon, Meuse-Argonne offensive, 25-26 September 1918.” His focus is on the central figure as he is cutting through the wire. Hornby created the faint shadow of his comrade as he made his way down the other side of the wire. There is an otherworldly quality to the work that he simply titled “Wire Cutters.”

Biography: Lester George Hornby studied at the Pape School of Arts in Boston, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Art Students League in New York City. In 1906, he began traveling and studying in France, creating his first copper engravings. He received international recognition for his artistry as an engraver. When war was declared in 1914, Hornby was living in France. He returned to Boston and in 1916 went back to France to live and work. After the entry of the United States into the war in 1917, Hornby obtained a pass to allow him to travel to the front lines. He did over 50 drawings and sketches a day. In his later years, he focused on teaching and rarely exhibited his works.