Iconic Objects

“À ma petite Ghislaine” games by Charles Grauss

A father’s love for his children found new means of expression during the war. Using his talents as an artist, Charles Grauss (b. Nancy, 1881; died during the war at Jaulzy, in 1918) expressed his love for his daughter, Ghislaine, from the front line. Verdun Memorial Museum also has books of watercolours and a photo album belonging to Charles Grauss.

Technical details

Material: carved painted wood – 75 figurines in two decorated boxes, accompanied by two letters decorated with water colours and written by Charles Grauss
Dimensions: approx. 5 x 10 cm per figurine (l x h)
Acquisition: donation from Annie Morch and Guy Galeran to the Comité National du Souvenir de Verdun in 2005
Inventory Nos.: 2010.0.1917; 2010.0.1909.0; 2010.0.1909.34; 2010.0.1909.35

Locating the item in the museum

First floor

In the exhibition, this set of skilfully carved wooden toys, which show a marked sense of design, is displayed on the first floor with many other items illustrating childhood. This was a world filled with the violence of war yet some of the soldiers still succeeded in expressing tenderness and love, the same tenderness that can be seen in exchanges of letters between soldiers and their young “war godmothers”.