We have explored the possibilities of the dazzle print in fashion in previous posts here and there. This peculiar graphic style was mainly applied to ships during the First World War, yet in an exhibition about uniforms from World War I currently on at the Senigallia Rocca Roveresca Fortress in Italy, you will spot the proof that coloured and unusual camouflage patters were used also for other things during the conflict, such as helmets.
The dummy in this picture is indeed wearing a uniform for the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) that consisted in a raw wool heavy coat, a classic jacket and trousers. The belt worn over the coat featured cartridges and the soldier was allowed to wear khaki galters over his boots.
The helmet (a model from 1917) featured a unique abstract design: as the information you will find at the exhibition explains, the camouflage was often left to the inventiveness of the soldier and the man wearing this helmet had surely come up with something colourful and creative for the trenches that, hopefully, managed to save his life.
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