Improvised Collection

Army Chaplain in Great War Deeds, WW1
An Army Chaplain holding a night service on the battlefield, with a packing case as an altar and a tin mug as a chalice. Reproduction of a painting by A C Michael in Great War Deeds

The Battle of the Roer Triangle; Second World War, 1945
Sketch showing the Allied Second Army crossing the Vloed Beek in Holland during a night attack on the 17th January 1945. On the left of the image one can see sappers constructing an improvised

Londoners sheltering from a German air raid on a platform in Piccadilly Underground Station during the Blitz
6015286 Londoners sheltering from a German air raid on a platform in Piccadilly Underground Station during the Blitz, World War II, September 1940 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

Mastiff and Panama Remote Controlled Vehicle
Pictured is a Mastiff fitted with Choker Mine Rollers following on behind the Panama remote control Land Rover which carries a ground penetrating radar used for route clearance operations

Improvised homes in ruined France, between c1915 and 1918. Creator: Bain News Service
Improvised homes in ruined France, between c1915 and 1918. Men, women and children, outside wood shacks during World War I in France.

Conquest of German East Africa; An improvised aircraft hangar at Toa... 1917. Creator: Unknown
Conquest of German East Africa; An improvised aircraft hangar at Toa, for the assembly of floats for a seaplane, 1917. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919

Au Volant; les autobus de Paris affectes aux transports de troupes, 1918. Creator: Unknown
Au Volant; les autobus de Paris affectes aux transports de troupes, 1918. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume 2" [L'Illustration, Paris, 1924]

'Bataille de la Somme; Village de Dompierre, 1916 (1924) Creator: Francois Flameng
'Bataille de la Somme; Village de Dompierre, 1916. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume I" [L'Illustration, Paris, 1924]

La vie en Campagne; Cette cheminee eventree forme un poste d'observation parfait, 1914. Creator: Unknown
'La vie en Campagne; Cette cheminee eventree, dans les Flandres, forme un poste d'observation parfait, 1914. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919: Volume I" [L'Illustration

'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. Creator: Unknown
'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919: Volume I". [L'Illustration, Paris, 1926]

'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. Creator: Unknown
'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919: Volume I". [L'Illustration, Paris, 1926]

'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. Creator: Unknown
'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919: Volume I". [L'Illustration, Paris, 1926]

'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. Creator: Unknown
'Devant les Falaises de L'Aisne; Un pont sur l'Oise improvise par le genie, 1914. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919: Volume I". [L'Illustration, Paris, 1926]

Boy Scouts Training Demonstration, 1912. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Boy Scouts Training Demonstration, 1912
Boy Scouts Training Demonstration, 1912. [Improvised stretcher made from two poles and clothing]

Commedia dell arte Characters
Four Characters from Commedia dell arte, an improvised kind of popular comedy in Italian theatres in the 16th18th centuries, based on stock characters

Fellah's makeshift hut, Dead Sea, Holy Land
A makeshift hut constructed by a fellah (Arab peasant, farmer or agricultural labourer), by the Dead Sea, Holy Land. It is made of sticks, mats and oil cans. Date: 1920s

Improvised Bridge, near Cordoba; Spanish Civil War, 1936
Photograph showing an improvised bridge, made of wooden sleepers, at Constantina, near Cordoba, 1936. The bridge had been blown up by Republican troops to try to slow down the Nationalist advance

Fouga CM. 170 Magister F-GKYE
Fouga CM.170 Magister F-GKYE (msn 201) of Patrouille Crystaline aerobatic formation team. This aircraft was destroyed in a mid-air collission with F-GKYD

"We were all square at the seventeenth"(colour litho)
6013986 " We were all square at the seventeenth" (colour litho) by Hassall, John (1868-1948); Private Collection; (add.info)

Scene from The Swiss Family Robinson: nearing land in the tub boat (chromolitho)
5996909 Scene from The Swiss Family Robinson: nearing land in the tub boat (chromolitho) by Maplestone, Florence (fl.1891); Private Collection; (add.info.: Scene from The Swiss Family Robinson)

In the mud of the Somme (bronze)
XIR341962 In the mud of the Somme (bronze) by Broquet, Gaston (1880-1947); Jardin du Val de Grace, Paris, France; (add.info)

With the Tirah Expedition (litho)
1039411 With the Tirah Expedition (litho) by Nash, Joseph (d.1922); Private Collection; (add.info.: With the Tirah Expedition)

Satirical subject with characters from the Commedia dell
CTS413003 Satirical subject with characters from the Commedia dell Arte (pen & brown ink on paper) by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) (1591-1666); 18.3x27 cm; eThe Devonshire Collections

The library of the French senate converted into a prison (colour litho)
2819092 The library of the French senate converted into a prison (colour litho) by Tofani, Oswaldo (1849-1915) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

On the run (b / w photo)
STC466104 On the run (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: In hot pursuit we cross the Canal du Nord by improvised bridges raked by shell fire ;)

Unexpected visit, a military governor general from Toul forced to defend himself against a raging bull (Colour Litho)
2815248 Unexpected visit, a military governor general from Toul forced to defend himself against a raging bull (Colour Litho) by Beltrame

The War in Asia, Sketches in the Camp of Mouktar Pasha (engraving)
1589572 The War in Asia, Sketches in the Camp of Mouktar Pasha (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The War in Asia, Sketches in the Camp of Mouktar Pasha)

Wrecked and Saved (chromolitho)
3643598 Wrecked and Saved (chromolitho) by Morlon, Antony Paul Emile (fl.1868-1905) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Wrecked and Saved)

Improvised boot market on a street, Paris Commune, 1871 (engraving)
6001335 Improvised boot market on a street, Paris Commune, 1871 (engraving) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Improvised boot market on a street, Paris Commune)

Sketches of "Coercion", the Prison Life of an Irish MP (engraving)
1595439 Sketches of " Coercion", the Prison Life of an Irish MP (engraving) by Paget, Walter (1863-1935); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sketches of " Coercion")

Children taking an evening class at Elephant and Castle Station on the London Underground during the Blitz
6015278 Children taking an evening class at Elephant and Castle Station on the London Underground during the Blitz, World War II, 1940 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

Le Radeau de la Meduse (engraving)
3645037 Le Radeau de la Meduse (engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Le Radeau de la Meduse. Illustration for Le Magasin Pittoresque (1859)

Five criminals attack a steamer, in the middle of the day, in the port of Palermo (colour litho)
2815266 Five criminals attack a steamer, in the middle of the day, in the port of Palermo (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

The epic defense of the Alpine troops of the Feltre battalion on Cima Valderoa (colour litho)
2808651 The epic defense of the Alpine troops of the Feltre battalion on Cima Valderoa (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

German soldiers in the trenches in Flanders firing through loopholes made from small wooden boxes and sewer pipes
3626904 German soldiers in the trenches in Flanders firing through loopholes made from small wooden boxes and sewer pipes (b/w photo) by German Photographer (20th Century)

Masquerade (engraving)
3646757 Masquerade (engraving) by Gheyn, Jacques II de (1565-1629); Private Collection; (add.info.: Masquerade. Illustration for Kulturgeschichtliches Bilderbuch aus drei Jahrhunderten by Georg Hirth)

Orient Express Halted
Snow halts the train on the Hungary-Romania border; the passengers leave the train and huddle round improvised fires Date: January 1932

Early gas masks, First World War, 1915, (1935). Creator: Unknown
Early gas masks, First World War, 1915, (1935). The Introduction of Chemical Warfare: one of the earliest patterns of gas-masks, pads of cotton-wool soaked in a solution of common washing-soda

Union volunteers crossing the Ohio River, Cincinnati, Ohio, American Civil War, c1862
Volunteers for the Union army crossing the Ohio River, Cincinnati, Ohio, American Civil War, c1862. Troops crossing from Cincinnati to Covington, Kentucky

Camp de Chalons Arab festival improvised Zouaves
Camp de Chalons: Arab festival improvised by the Zouaves; Gustave Le Gray (French, 1820 - 1884); Chalons, France; 1857; Albumen silver print

An Improvised Bridge In Central Africa In The 19Th Century. From The Book Africa Pintoresca Published 1888

Two kittens in improvised boat on a Christmas card
Two kittens in an improvised boat, with a wooden spoon as an oar, on a Christmas card. Date: circa 1890s

Cover design, Womans Pictorial
Cover design, Dressing Up, by M Kemp Welch, Womans Pictorial magazine, 21 June 1924. Depicting a girl wearing improvised fancy dress. With items by Kitty McKane, Fannie Kilbourne and Gilbert Frankau

Three boys and a dog on wasteland
Three boys and a dog on an area of wasteland. The boys are sitting round an improvised campfire set up on a piece of corrugated iron at the foot of a tree

Turkish belly dance. Originated in the Middle East. A solo, improvised dance based on torso articulation. Artist: Sydney Carter Date: 1905

The Way of War with Civilians, WW1
The Way of War with Civilians -- a cross-section of an English home, showing how it could be adapted for military purposes during the First World War. Date: 1914

Five boys on a Balham street, SW London
Five boys in distress on a Balham street, SW London. They have just fallen off a plank of wood which they were using as an improvised slide. Date: circa 1961

Great Tit - sits and waits for food in the improvised bird-feeder made of juice-box (Parus maior L.). parkland woods near Ekateringburg - Ural Mountains - Russia

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During times of war and hardship, the human spirit has always found a way to adapt and overcome. From the Army Chaplain in Great War Deeds to the Battle of the Roer Triangle in World War I, improvisation became a crucial skill for survival. In Fellah's makeshift hut in the Holy Land, amidst the desolate Dead Sea, resourcefulness was key. Even during peaceful times like near Cordoba during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, an improvised bridge served as a lifeline for those caught in conflict. The Commedia dell'arte characters brought laughter and entertainment through their spontaneous performances. In modern warfare, technology played its part with inventions like Mastiff and Panama Remote Controlled Vehicles aiding soldiers on dangerous missions. The Fouga CM. 170 Magister F-GKYE showcased how even aircraft could be modified to suit specific needs. Beyond war zones, improvisation was evident in everyday life too. Dorothea Lange captured an image of a Negro tobacco tenant's home with an improvised garage added on - a testament to making do with what one had. Artistic expressions also embraced improvisation; from "Une Execution A San-Francisco" engraving depicting unexpected twists of fate to colorful lithographs like "We were all square at the seventeenth, " showcasing creativity beyond boundaries. Finally, we can't forget about literary adventures such as The Swiss Family Robinson nearing land in their tub boat - proving that even castaways can find innovative solutions when stranded far from civilization. Throughout history and across various contexts, improvisation has been both a necessity born out of desperation and a source of inspiration for humanity's resilience and ingenuity.