War artists and the press

Emma Mawdsley looks at artists' depiction of war in the press of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Art has always been a tool for reporting news. But in the age before photography, artists provided the only images of war zones.

In the 19th century, as the thirst for authentic images of conflict grew, newspapers sent artists to accompany troops to war. The images didn’t merely complement the written words, they formed the substance of reporting.

Emma Mawdsley is a Senior Research Curator at the National Army Museum and curator of the War Paint exhibition.

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