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Portraits of Allied Generals

A Gallery of Oil Portraits Taken from 'L'Illustration'

Generals Joffre (French) and French (British) Confer on the Battlefield.

Not only were illustrations of soldiers uniforms a traditional 'must' in grand history volumes, it was also expected that (flattering and inspiring) portraits of generals and commanders be published as well. Most newsmagazines and books complied, churning out portraits of military leaders at a prodigious rate. 'L'Illustration', as befitting a prestigious national publication, commissioned a vertible 'who's-who' of Allied military leaders throughout the war. The portraits were executed with great skill and in good taste.

After the Great War, all portraits were included in 'L'Ilustration's' deluxe 2 volume Commemorative Album. Needless to say, French generals (both famous and the now obscure) were understandably over-represented in number. Aside from British commanders, a number of other Allied generals and leaders were also published. In keeping with the spirit of the times, no portraits of enemy commanders were included.

Here follows the complete collection of portraits taken from that Commemorative Album along with several others that were published in 'l'Illustration' during the war years but for some reason or another never made it into the grand Commemorative Album. If many of the names of these once famous generals are now unfamiliar and long forgotten, consider how fleeting are the paths of glory.