Les soldats à la gare from the portfolio Images de l'Arrière

Completing his military service in 1899, Jean-Émile Laboureur returned to work during World War I as a translator for the 12th Division of the British Army. He produced several print series related to the war and often worked in woodcut, as these materials were more readily available than those required for etching or engraving.

The portfolio Images de l’Arrière (Images from Behind the Lines) chronicles the activities of soldiers away from the battlefield. Uniformed French, British, and American troops partake of leisure activities and visit cafes and carnivals. Laboureur was interested in the introduction of Americans to French soil, and often returned to the subject of the “happy-go-lucky” American in his wartime works.