agencemeurisse

The date given by LOC states between 1910 and 1915, however, assuming this photo was taken at one of the two Battles of the Somme, this photo would need to be dated either 1916 or 1918.

The photo probably dates back to when the Germans first took the area in 1914.

Here's a news article describing battles there in September, 1914 ("CAPTURED AT HEAVY COST; Peronne Taken in Face of Deadly Fire From the German Guns. 900 DEAD IN ONE TRENCH Battle Fought in Wheat Field ;- Repeated German Assaults Were Repulsed") query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=980CE2DA1430E7...

This is a cropped version of Agence Meurisse photo on Gallica site, with caption: "Cadavre allemand sur le champ de bataille de Fère Champenoise " [German corpse on the battefield of Fère Champenoise] Pub date 1914 gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9041757x

"THE decisive action in the battle of the Marne was won by General Foch on the afternoon of September 9, at La Fere Champenoise, or on the center of the fighting line, which was near where the Petit Morin, a tributary of the Seine, takes its rise in the marshes of St. Gond. This became the fixt opinion of students of the progress of the war, but not until long after the battle occurred. For six days, over a front of nearly two hundred miles, were assembled on either side approximately a million men." Literary Digest History of the World War books.google.com/books?id=Q58MAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA65&o...

Cropped from original Agence Meurisse photo shown at Bibliotheque Nationale de France's Gallica site, with following caption:
"En Belgique : combats de Haelen et de Diest : dans un village près de diest, vérification d'identité "
[In Belgium: Battle of Haelen and Diest: In a village near Diest, verifying identity]





Pub. Date 1914

A Phot-Express French post card of this image has a (translated) caption of "Officers lay flowers on the graves of the officers. Lépine (Marne)". The caption dates the photo to 1914. L'Épine is a commune in the Marne department in the Champagne-Ardenne region of north-eastern France, and was part of the First Battle of the Marne in September of 1914. [1] [2]

Nice one!

This (and the Phot-Express card) are heavily cropped versions of the Agence Meurisse photo on Gallica site, with caption: "Officiers français déposant des fleurs sur la tombe d'officiers de chasseurs à l'Epine" [French officers placing flowers on the grave of officers of l'Epine infantry] gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b90421649 Another Meurisse photo of the same funeral: gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9042684s Pub. date 1914

Pixel Wrangler and artolog: Thanks for finding the correct date and original caption. We'll include some of this info next time we update.

It's pretty crazy to think in less than 3 years it will be the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.