Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a fantastic genuine Great War hand painted camouflage helmet, with a complete original liner and broken chinstrap. Helmet features original period colored camouflage paint in a multitude of vibrant colors, in a lovely panel pattern, with the colors outlined in black. Definitely one of the more interesting camouflage color schemes we have seen.

The best feature on the helmet is the unit insignias that were hand painted on the front and back. The front features a beautiful red/orange 3 pointed shield with a “ Black Hawk” with the division's BH monogram style on the chest. The rear of the helmet has a beautiful image of an American soldier manning a machine gun while wearing a gasmask, one of the most beautiful pieces of art on a helmet we have seen!

The division was nicknamed the "Black Hawk Division," named after the Sauk Leader Chief Black Hawk. Frederic McLaughlin, was a commander with the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during World War I. In 1926, McLaughlin would be granted a franchise by the National Hockey League, which he would put in his hometown of Chicago. He named the team the Chicago Blackhawks after the unit.

The paint is very nice and vibrant, with great color retention, and a nice patina of age. There are some areas of rust and fading of the paint, as well as large areas where it has chipped off, so this helmet definitely saw service. The exterior of the helmet was clear coated or shellacked at some point to preserve the paint work. The interior of the helmet has all the original paint, with some paint loss and oxidation. It also has a complete liner, though the original chin strap is present, but is broken.. The liner shows some age, and the oil cloth liner has the lacquer separate from the fabric in many areas.

The underside of the rim is stamped ZC 88, indicating that the shell is a U.S. manufactured shell, and not British. The solid rivet attaching the chin-strap bale further confirms this.

Overall, an excellent example of a WWI painted helmet with unit tactical marking and beautiful artwork!

History of the M1917 Helmet

The M1917 was the US Army's first modern combat helmet, used from 1917 and during the 1920s, before being replaced by the M1917A1. The M1917A1 helmet was an updated version of the M1917 and initially used refurbished WW1 shells.

The M1917 is a near identical version of the British Mk.I steel helmet, and it is important to note that when the US joined the Great War in 1917 they were initially issued with a supply of around 400,000 British made Mk.Is, before production began state side. The M1917 differed slightly in its lining detail, and exhibited US manufacture markings.

M1917 helmet liners typically show a paper label at the crown and the dome rivet head. The liner is set up as on the British versions, with an oilcloth band and net configuration, attached to a leather strap, riveted to the shell. The chinstrap is leather with steel buckle.