Daniel Van Horn made an exciting historical discovery during his
Applications course of a cache of original drawings and letters from the
first official WWI artist commissioned by the U.S. government, J. Andre
Smith. Not only did he focus his final document on J. Andre Smith’s
role in the war, Van Horn’s find also resulted in his being asked to
design a new, permanent exhibition at the Maitland Art Center in
Florida.
Van Horn’s discovery showed the steadfast leadership of J. Andre Smith
as he guided the “Art Squad” engaged to document the Great War. Smith
operated under the belief that the Art Squad’s role was to faithfully
create historical documentation of the war through their works of art.
However, others felt the true purpose of the Art Squad was to roll out
propaganda for use in the government’s ongoing struggle in the battle of
public opinion. Smith’s perspective won out and, for the 8 months they
were engaged before the end of WWI, the Art Squad’s drawings revealed
the unsensational business side of war.
A House in Badonviller by
J Andre SmithFor example, Smith admired the soldiers’ complacency
around death, and documented soldiers relaxing in the bombed building
remains as if the war “was a thousand miles away and not just the other
side of the next building."( J. André Smith, In France with the American Expeditionary Forces (New York: A. H. Hahlo, 1919), 59.)
The scope of this primary source is so vast that Daniel Van Horn was
able to use only a small part of it for his final document, and is
continuing his research into Andre Smith to develop a complete
biography. Based on his serious academic scholarship and successful
museum exhibit of the life and work of Smith, Van Horn has been
approached about other research and book opportunities.
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