I was browsing through a modest little estate-sale lot when I found them: a stack of brittle newspaper clippings, apparently dated 1918, each one a short poem about war. The listing described them simply as “War Poems 1918.”
At first I thought: “Hm, these could be interesting for collage or journaling.” But as I gently unfolded them, I realized I was holding something far more poignant: words written at the height of WWI, published in newspapers and saved—somehow—for generations.
There were about 40 poem clippings in the lot, plus a few miscellaneous pieces. The paper was very worn and fragile, but the verses were still legible.
It felt like I had stumbled into something very special.
What Are “War Poems”?
The term “war poetry” usually evokes names like Wilfred Owen or Siegfried Sassoon, but it actually covers a much broader field—especially during World War I. Poetry was published in newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and even soldiers’ newsletters as a way of grappling with fear, duty, loss, and hope.
In fact, the very notion of war poems overlaps with what scholars call ephemera, everyday, transient materials like newspaper clippings, flyers, and handwritten notes that weren’t meant to last forever. Yet they do. They show how people captured their experience in the moment.
So these clippings of poems from 1918 are fragments of history.
Why These Pieces Matter
Why keep these clippings? Why turn them into journaling or collage pieces? Here are a few reasons:
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Memory & Story: Each poem is a small attempt to process the war, to make sense of it, to mourn, to call for hope. In the craft context, using them invites us to listen.
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Material History: Newsprint from 1918 is fragile. To hold it is to hold something rare, and to make something new from it is to give it another life.
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Creative Reuse: For makers, these pages are perfect reminders that ephemera can be art. They’re already printed, aged, full of texture and authenticity.
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Narrative Depth: When you include a 1918 poem in a journal or collage, the material carries its own resonance. It brings depth that a fresh blank page never could.
How to Use Them (Gently & Respectfully)
If you decide to work with vintage war-poem clippings, here are a few tips to honor their fragility and story:
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Use archival or acid-free backing if you’re mounting a piece, especially given how brittle newsprint can get.
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Integrate them in journaling, collage or mixed-media projects, think scrapbooks, art-books, or framed displays.
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Leave some white space or context: note the date, era, maybe a snippet of what war poetry meant at that time.
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Combine them with other vintage ephemera, old letters, photos, brochures, to build a larger narrative piece.
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Handle with care: 1918 newsprint often tears easily. Consider encapsulating or reinforcing delicate bits.
What I Found in the Lot
In my lot of clippings, I found small poems, some highly sentimental, some patriotic, some quiet meditations on loss and home. One struck me especially: a poem about “those far away fields where poppies rest” (echoing themes of sacrifice) that brought tears.
These clippings were clearly saved, collected. Not just thrown away. Someone valued them. And now, I’m inviting the next chapter of that value: for makers who will give them another life in art.
The Craft of Ephemera and the Heart of Making
When I think about what I do with Remnants, collecting, selling, repurposing, I see ephemera like these war-poems as perfect bridges. They connect past lives with present creativity. They let us make something new that still honors what came before.
And in a world of mass-production and disposable tech, there’s something very powerful about this: a newspaper clipping from 1918, folded, saved, repurposed. It becomes a tool for creation again.
P.S. If you’ve ever used vintage newspaper clippings in your art, especially something as emotionally loaded as war-poems, I’d love to see how you did it. These little fragments carry weight. They carry story. And when we reuse them, we continue making.
