Mounted Saber; Britain, c. 1900

 

Lifeguard vs. Dragoon

Military pastimes…

Bayonet Drill; France, c. 1910

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Hold still!

Beats frisbee golf any old day…

Cavalry Saber Skills; Britain, c. 1906

Specialized Skills

No room for error…

Wrestling; Germany, 1898

 

The grown-up version of Fingerhakeln

Alpine wrestling in Germany…

Smallsword; Britain, c. 1800

 

Am I overdoing the "From the Darkness of Time We Came" lighting on the pics?

Battered and blackened, but still a formidable weapon…

Foil; Germany, c. 1860

 

Copper Wire Handle

 

A pretty foil suited for little hands…

Rifle Drill; USA, c. 1917

 

Rifle butt to the head

 

Using the rifle as a close-combat weapon…

Bayonet Fencing; France, c. 1890

 

Thrusting at the dummies

 

Hand-colored French postcard…

Épée Fencers; France, c. 1880

 

Grand Salut

Not an attack to the rear…

Schläger Mensur; Germany, c. 1910-30

 

 

Rare snapshot of a Schläger Mensur

 

 

Most 19th- and early 20th-century photographs of Mensuren are staged. This one isn’t…