| Absinthe Spoons VI - Les Cuillères de Poilus |
A 'poilu' (literally "hairy one") was a French rank-and-file infantryman of the Great War - roughly the
equivalent of the British Tommy. The trench art (often taking the form of personal utensils - lighters, pipes,
match-cases, inkwells) produced in the first few years of the war is a poignant reminder of the era. Fashioned
from whatever improvised materials were to hand - tin, brass from shell casings, aluminium - these often
crudely artisanal items were made for daily use, as gifts to send home, or just to while away the boredom of
trench-life. Absinthe spoons were made only in the first few months of the war (because thereafter the drink
was banned). They are usually extremely primitive, and often produced in aluminium (which was soft and
easy to cut). More expertly worked examples like the brass model below are extremely rare.
equivalent of the British Tommy. The trench art (often taking the form of personal utensils - lighters, pipes,
match-cases, inkwells) produced in the first few years of the war is a poignant reminder of the era. Fashioned
from whatever improvised materials were to hand - tin, brass from shell casings, aluminium - these often
crudely artisanal items were made for daily use, as gifts to send home, or just to while away the boredom of
trench-life. Absinthe spoons were made only in the first few months of the war (because thereafter the drink
was banned). They are usually extremely primitive, and often produced in aluminium (which was soft and
easy to cut). More expertly worked examples like the brass model below are extremely rare.
| Manufactured from brass taken from a shell casing, this exceptional cuillère de poilu is unusually skillfully made. The soldier has stamped his initials "PB" on the handle, and the punched holes make up the date "1914". Click on the image to enlarge. |
| Whilst most absinthe spoons have only one "grip" - the notch on the handle - this spoon has three: the notched handle, and two flower petals at either side curved down at the tips. Unlike a café spoon which was made to use with glasses of varying size, this spoon has clearly been tailored to specifically fit the soldier's own drinking vessel - probably a tin cup as shown in the postcard above. Click on the images to enlarge. |
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