{"product_id":"original-french-wwi-field-made-body-armor-purportedly-made-from-spent-shell-casings-found-in-the-loft-of-a-french-barn","title":"Original French WWI Field-Made Body Armor Purportedly Made from Spent Shell Casings - Found in the Loft of a French Barn","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an exceptionally unusual piece of French WWI-era field-made body armor consisting of a large articulated brass torso assembled from five shaped sections joined with steel rivets. The armor came to us with the history that it was found in the loft of a barn in France and was purportedly fabricated from repurposed artillery shell-case brass. No documentation accompanies the piece confirming either the precise recovery location or the source of the brass, so both aspects should be regarded as oral provenance rather than established fact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe armor consists of a stamped brass torso made from five riveted pieces of brass connected by steel rivets, with the collar edge covered with leather and the shoulder edges covered with leather that is far more worn from use. The four largest pieces of brass make up the majority of the armor, with a very small fifth piece riveted at the bottom to cover the crotch. This armor came to us with the story that it was purportedly found in the loft of a French barn, and was made from melted-down brass shell casings stamped into armor plating. The idea for brass as armor was already prevalent due to Cuirassier armor, and the maker of this set likely had Cuirassier armor in mind when designing this set.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe armor measures roughly 25 inches tall, 13 ½ inches wide, and 8 ½ inches deep. The armor originally had a leather strap system for wearing, but both straps have broken off and are still included with the set. There is a later-attached canvas strap which appears to have been a period replacement, but it is difficult to tell when it was added. There are still three small leather straps with buckles which would have taken the two leather straps now broken off. To attach this armor to a mannequin for display, some sort of attachment system will need to be devised.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are some rivets missing as shown, but the set is still overall solid with some denting and general wear. There is some scattered verdigris in spots on the brass, and there are some small specks of errant paint from storage, but this is a very solid armor piece that has survived well over the past 100 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe basic concept of a metal torso cuirass would have been familiar in France during the First World War. French cuirassier cavalry entered the conflict still equipped with traditional breastplates and backplates derived from nineteenth-century patterns. These were substantial steel defenses worn over the uniform, and surviving wartime examples demonstrate that metal cuirasses remained part of the visual and military culture of the French Army at the beginning of the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorld War I also stimulated renewed experimentation with personal body armor as artillery fragments and machine-gun fire caused enormous casualties. French, German, British, American, and other armies examined a wide range of steel helmets, breastplates, shields, and experimental defenses. Much of this equipment was produced in relatively small numbers or improvised locally, and many designs proved too heavy or cumbersome for general infantry service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts French barn-find history, heavily aged brass construction, surviving leather suspension components, replacement canvas strap, riveted multi-panel construction, and evident attempt to create a wearable protective torso make this a genuinely intriguing artifact. Whether made during the war as experimental personal protection, produced locally from available military scrap, or assembled shortly afterward from wartime materials remains an open question.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe physical evidence is compelling enough without assigning the piece a more specific history than can presently be demonstrated. Preserved substantially as found, this unusual brass cuirass offers considerable potential for further metallurgical, construction, and provenance research and would make an exceptional addition to a collection devoted to World War I body armor, trench craftsmanship, or improvised military equipment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45680403644485,"sku":"ONJR26JYHG096","price":1995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/09BA59D8-1F97-4DF2-8274-B033DD15ACB6_4c1c3f42-e23b-4f6f-ab63-c85a02a441ed.jpg?v=1788376804","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-french-wwi-field-made-body-armor-purportedly-made-from-spent-shell-casings-found-in-the-loft-of-a-french-barn","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}