"Military Artwork in Your Home? Not Much..." Topic

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On a scale of 0 (none) to 10 (everywhere!), how much historical military artwork (paintings and prints) do you have on display in your home? Miniatures do not count.

Average rating: 2.64

Surprisingly low

Good Art is not cheap. Most wargamers are cheap

Many of us have wives who have different ideas about decor.

Doc mcb for the win!

Doc takes the prize!

My challenge is having enough wall space to hang all the prints I have. And buying the frames!

Jim

Hmmm 4 Troiani, 1 Dale Gallon and 2 Kuntslers. My wife likes them, so no issues.

Yes, four, which I have hanging in my study.

Now my wife and I have retired to Wales, I have a small (by US standards) room for a study/wargame room at the back of the house. I am awaiting the framing of some of my prints from a local shop; once they are done the walls above the low bookshelves will be covered with pictures of Napoleonic battles and soldiers. Some are reproductions of famous paintings, such as those of Waterloo by Robert Dighton; others are original early nineteenth century aquatints that I collected when I was younger (and they were cheaper!).I have the same problem as ColCampbell.

The rest of the house is my wife's domain and a battle picture-free zone.

Five Ltd Edition Prints, which hang in the basement near the gaming area. One each Griffing, Buxton, Phillips, Terpening, and Stivers, and an open edition poster of mounted Moroccan tribesmen. One Rocco ACW and one Dietz WWII still need frames.

Napoleon on the wall inside the front door.

I have the original artwork for the Perry's plastic kits ACW1 and VLW 20 hanging in my game room. I would have more pictures, but I don't have the wall space. Almost all the walls have shelves.

I have a set of storage shelves in the mancave that someday I hope to get an image printed in vinyl to place over the ends.

Something like this:

As someone who buys and sells original (as in, not modern reproductions)
military and naval art (mostly 1700-1950), I can contribute the following insights:

Good Art is not cheap.

You might be surprised. The only things I find that tend to get steep are fine art by known artists (e.g., original Dighton watercolors, Detaille sketches, etc.), bronzes, and some WWI and WWII posters. Many aquatints, etchings, lithos, etc., are comparable in price to modern prints.

Most wargamers are cheap

I can't dispute this.

Wall space and the opprobrium of the spouse or SO are indeed the chief obstacles I encounter with wargamers. Interestingly, I rarely encounter these problems with toy soldier or militaria collectors.

The cost of framing is also a factor, although I am always happy to point out that most premade frames these days are well made, affordable, and come in a bewildering variety of styles. Get an acid free mat (please!) and Bob's you uncle. OTOH, if you're buying a 1916 German Kriegsanleihe poster for $900 USD, you might want a professional to handle it.

I currently have 53 items on display, mainly because framed items are sometimes easier to store on the wall!

alot…

Looking at prints of Roberts and Kitchener as I post; 4 small Tritt repros hang over the painting bench.

None at all.