World War I ashtray with bullet motif belonging to Etta Moten Barnett

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

This is a World War I trench art souvenir metal ashtray belonging to Etta Moten Barnett. It consists of a square shallow metal dish with rounded corners and a wide lip. There are four bullets lying along the lip of the ashtray, one on each side. Spaced in between the bullets are grooves, of a size to rest a cigarette. In the center depression of the ashtray is the crest of the city of Verdun. The crest consists of a castle on a shield under a crown. Raised text across the band of the crown reads “VERDUN.” The shield and crown are partially encircled by a horseshoe shape with the letters “VERDUN” within it.

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