The National World War One Museum, through a fish-eye lens

Took my wife to the National WW1 Museum at the Liberty Memorial for Labor Day, and had an excellent time as always. I hadn't seen the recently acquired Renault tank yet, but I liked its restoration and presentation and the fact that they didn't repair the jagged hole in the rear quarter where a direct hit from an artillery shell knocked it out. I left the fish-eye attachment on my 24-55mm lens the whole time, which unfortunately does result in some lens aberration around the edges, but in the tight confines of the museum I thought it best to show as much museum as I could, and try to be creative. The place is fairly dim, so a tripod, careful white balance adjustment, and slow shutter speeds were the order of the day. Sometimes I had my wife trip the shutter if I wanted to be in a picture, and sometimes I set the camera timer and put myself in the picture just for kicks.

Without further ado:

The entrance to the museum. Visitors walk over a field of plastic poppies. Each flower represents 1,000 COMBAT casualties. A field of poppies including, say, the 1918 flu epidemic would have to be much larger.



The first displays visitors see:




Replica trenches feature recorded sound narratives that play as you put your head into viewing ports. The lighting and ambiance is well done, it really freaks children out.

French:


British:


German:


The museum has two of the notorious Chauchat machineguns, widely considered by military historians to be the worst firearm ever fielded by the US Army. Large holes cut in the magazine were intended to allow the shooter to see how much ammo remained. In the trenches of Europe, however, this "feature" allowed mud to enter the inner workings of the gun, causing a jam. Clearing the jam meant disassembling the gun, which of course could not be done without specialized tools which were not in general issue. This was combined with the fact that the guns were so poorly made that parts from one often could not be fitted to another as replacements. Most Cheauchats were discarded by the soldiers they were issued to after firing less than a full 20-round magazine.

Which one is the Chauchat?


THIS one:


More displays:





This artillery emplacement has been hit by counter-battery fire. If you think it looks creepy, you are right, and recorded battle sounds, including the moans of wounded and dying soldiers, complete the scene:


In the rear of the circular-shaped museum, in between the two major sections, is an excellent multi-media presentation in which the audience sits over a life-size battlescape. As a film presentation (narrated by Kate Mulgrew I believe) plays on the opposite wall, careful changes in lighting bring the audience's attention back and forth between the movie and the diorama below them. The presentation leaves an effect on all who see it.



More displays:





And the aforementioned Renault FT17 tank:


Ouch, that's not gonna buff out:


There are a few humorous exhibits, like the German helmet plastered with postage stamps and sent home through regular mail as a souvenir:


Overall, the museum does an excellent job of turning statistics into something visitors can understand and relate to. Click on this image for a larger version in which the wall is readable:


If you've never been to the museum, I would be happy to give you a guided tour of the place. Just let me know when you are going to be in town and available.