Drawing

Title:

3 minute break on the march

Object Name:

Drawing

Object ID:

2002.008.03.21

Creator:

Jordan, Robert (1925-1993)

Place of Origin:

England

Date:

1945

Description:

Drawings of prisoners during march. Page 21 in sketchbook of Robert Jordan (1925-1993), U.S. Army Air Force, World War II. Pencil on paper. Horizontal rectangle. Five sketches:
1. Men resting during march. Captioned in ink, "3 minute break / on the march".
2. Indian man squatting at cooking fire. Captioned in ink, "H.M. Indian Troops".
3. Rear view of man marching with full pack.
4. Two men seated at cooking fire.
5. Two men apparently trying to start a fire.
The sketchbook documents Sergeant Jordan's experience as a prisoner of war in Germany, including his capture, forced march, and recovery in England.

Material:

Paper

Dimensions:

H-10 W-14.5 inches

Provenance:

Robert Jordan (1925-1993) was a tail gunner when his plane was shot down over Hanover, Germany, on Nov. 26, 1944. He was captured and marched to a prisoner of war camp, Stalag Luft 4. After liberation, he recovered in a hospital in England, where a Red Cross nurse ("Mom") bought him this sketchbook. After the war, he earned degrees from Dartmouth and Columbia, and became a talented landscape painter. In 1952, he bought a farm as a summer home in Eaton, NH, and returned every summer. In 1943, he worked as a cowboy in the Southwest at age 16.

Credit Line:

Gift of the Estate of Robert Jordan

People:

Jordan, Robert (1925-1993)

Subjects:

World War II, Prisoners of war, POW's, Prisoners, Prisons, Air forces, Marching, Cooking, Indian man