love in wartime
this looks like a really interesting exhibit that has opened in paris at the famous war museum.
Paris exhibit showcases love in wartime
<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY --><!-- end storyhdr -->By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 21, 12:04 PM ET
PARIS - Everybody knows the photo of the sailor sweeping a nurse into his arms in Times Square, two strangers sealing the end of World War II with a kiss. Their very public embrace may be the most emblematic image of love and war.
But what about the private mementos and photos, tucked into pockets and treasured in the trenches and battlefields? Soldiers — both German and French — sculpted delicate engagement rings out of melted shrapnel. Some French World War I soldiers inscribed declarations of love onto autumn leaves using hundreds of pinpricks.
A fascinating new exhibit at Les Invalides in Paris examines the impact of the two World Wars on relationships and sexuality, leaving no facet unexamined. Next to the tender trinkets of separated lovers are shockingly gruesome French military film reels about venereal diseases, meant to scare soldiers away from the whorehouses.
i couldn't find any further information from the invalides website, as it's being updated...but it's interesting to ponder how one's love life and sexuality would have been transformed during such extreme conditons.
"Love, War and Sexuality" runs through Dec. 31 at Les Invalides in Paris and will not travel elsewhere.
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