Les petits soldats de Strasbourg - Papiersoldaten und die Festungsanlagen von Vauban
Hello,
Today I would like to introduce you to the book "Papiersoldaten und die Festungsanlagen von Vauban" ("Paper Soldiers and the Fortifications of Vauban").
It is a mixture of an art book and an exhibition catalogue. The reason for the book was a special exhibition in the Saarloius Museum in 2014, where an extensive collection of paper soldiers was on display. The book is divided into various articles, each with its own author. It begins with an introduction to the "Museum Haus Ludwig", then the "Ludwig Collection" is briefly discussed, and of course specifically the paper soldiers in this collection. Other articles describe the French army at the time of Napoleon III and the fortifications of Vauban. At the end there is an overview of the individual items in the collection shown, i.e. a description of each individual soldier sheet used and the uniform description of the soldiers shown.
The book has 112 numbered pages, 20 of which are about the Vauban fortifications in Saarlouis (mainly large-format photos), while the remaining pages are mainly about the collection and photos of paper soldiers. The paper soldier collection includes 3592 figures that come exclusively from the Silbermann (all sheets) and Fischbach (only sheets 1 to 4) sheets.
Anyone interested in these French cult manufacturers will find what they are looking for here. There are great photos of many of the soldiers (also of some of the packaging), etc. BUT: it is an art book. There are many large-format photos and detailed photos, groups of soldiers in interesting arrangements. As a collector and enthusiast, however, I would have liked to see as many of the figures as possible. And unfortunately, this wish is not fulfilled. There are some groups that are covered quite comprehensively, but for example my beloved Chasseurs a Pied (Silbermann No. 1) are only mentioned in the introduction to the collection. There I learn that there are 303 figures of this unit - but only one picture with 6 of them is shown. And unfortunately this is the case with some of the sheets/units.
Nevertheless, I like the book, not least because it deals with this topic in my native language and also provides some background information - and to my knowledge this is unique till today.
Best wishes,
Andreas
Title: Les petits soldats de Strasbourg / Papiersoldaten und die Festungsanlagen von Vauban
Author: P. Pachnicke, C. Wiotte-Franz, T. Wolf, G. Hülsmann
Publisher: Museum Haus Ludwig für Kunstausstellungen Saarlouis
Printed: 2014 (limited to 1000 copies)
ISBN: 978-3-942279-23-9
Number of pages: 112
Language: German
Price: between 12,- and 25,- euros in used condition (2025 in Germany)
