Company of Military Historians

Company of Military Historians
Name	Company of Military Historians
Formation	1949
Founder	George S. Patton (inspiration), John T. Smith (founder placeholder)
Headquarters	Chicago
Type	Nonprofit
Purpose	Preservation and study of military history artifacts and uniforms
Region served	United States
Membership	Historians, collectors, artists

Company of Military Historians is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study, preservation, and illustration of historical uniforms and equipment from global conflicts such as the American Civil War, Napoleonic Wars, World War I, and World War II. Founded in the mid‑20th century, the group brings together scholars, illustrators, curators, and collectors with interests spanning from the Seven Years' War to the Vietnam War and from the British Army to the Imperial Japanese Army. Its activities intersect with museums, archives, and publications tied to institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Imperial War Museums, and the National Archives.

History

The organization emerged in the late 1940s amid renewed interest following World War II, influenced by veterans from the United States Army, researchers of the French Revolutionary Wars, curators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and illustrators inspired by works on the Crimean War and the Boer War. Early meetings featured speakers on topics ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte's Grande Armée uniforms to the insignia of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Wars, attracting members who later contributed to catalogs used by the British Museum and the Hermitage Museum. Over decades the organization responded to scholarship trends exemplified by studies of the American Revolution, the Franco‑Prussian War, and the Spanish Civil War, while collaborating with societies such as the Société d'Histoire Militaire and the Royal Historical Society. Notable contributors included uniform historians with interests in the Continental Army, the Prussian Army, the Austro‑Hungarian Army, and the Red Army.

Membership and Organization

Membership has traditionally comprised illustrators, curators, collectors, and researchers associated with institutions like the National Museum of American History, the Imperial War Museum, the Musée de l'Armée, and regional historical societies covering the Battle of Gettysburg and the Siege of Sevastopol. The society established regional chapters that paralleled collections at the Royal Armouries, the Canadian War Museum, and the Australian War Memorial, and maintained liaison with university departments at Oxford University, Harvard University, Yale University, and University of Tokyo for archival access. Governance used a board model with officers elected from among members known for work on topics such as the Siege of Leningrad, the Battle of Stalingrad, the Korean War, and the Afghan War (1978–present), while advisers included curators from the Vatican Museums and scholars versed in the Thirty Years' War and the Italian Wars.

Publications and Journal

The society produced a quarterly journal featuring illustrated studies of uniforms, insignia, and equipment with contributions on subjects like the Confederate States Army, the Union Army, the Wehrmacht, and the Imperial German Navy. Authors published detailed plates comparing dress from the Seven Years' War, the American Indian Wars, and the Polish–Soviet War, alongside analyses of campaigns such as the Battle of Waterloo, the Battle of Trafalgar, the Gallipoli Campaign, and the Battle of Midway. The publication included bibliographies citing works from scholars at the Institute of Historical Research, the Royal United Services Institute, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and featured collaborations with artists who also illustrated for monographs on the Crimea, the Mexican–American War, and the Russo‑Japanese War.

Collections and Museum Activities

Members curated and lent items to exhibitions at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, the National World War II Museum, the Royal Armouries, and the Musée de l'Armée, organizing displays on topics such as Napoleonic uniforms, Samurai armor, Zulu War dress, and Mongol warrior accoutrements. The organization advised on conservation of textiles, metalwork, and ephemera from campaigns including the Peninsular War, the Hundred Days' War (Napoleonic context), the Anglo‑Zulu War, and the American Expeditionary Forces. Its photo archives and plate collections were referenced by curators preparing exhibitions on the Battle of the Somme, the Siege of Yorktown, the Battle of Saratoga, and the Dnieper Campaign.

Awards and Recognitions

The society conferred awards recognizing excellence in illustration, research, and preservation, honoring works on subjects such as the Battle of Britain, the Tet Offensive, the Battle of Kursk, and the Siege of Leningrad. Recipients included artists and historians associated with publications on the Royal Navy, the United States Marine Corps, the Soviet Navy, and the German Imperial Navy, and institutions such as the National Archives, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Bundesarchiv acknowledged the society's contributions to cataloging and protecting collections.

Conferences and Educational Programs

Annual meetings and symposia attracted speakers discussing case studies from the American Civil War, Waterloo Campaign, Boxer Rebellion, and the Russo‑Turkish Wars, often held alongside exhibitions at venues tied to the National Museum of the United States Army, the Australian War Memorial, and the Canadian War Museum. Workshops covered practical topics including conservation methods used at the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustration techniques employed in catalogs for the Imperial War Museums, and archival research linked to collections at the National Library of Australia and the Library of Congress. Collaborative seminars brought together experts on campaigns ranging from the Baltic Crusades to the Gulf War (1990–1991), enabling cross‑institutional projects with the United Nations's heritage initiatives and regional historical societies.

Category:Historical societies Category:Organizations established in 1949