Figure 1 – Thanksgiving 1918, two servicemen being feted by the City of New York. Image by Underwood and Underwood for the War Department, from the Wikimedia Commons and in the public domain.

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States.  It is our great nonsectarian feast day and draws its roots from the first harvest feasts at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts in the seventeenth century.  So in celebration I thought that I would simply share with you this image from the United States National Archives showing “Thanksgiving cheer” being distributed by the City of New York to men in service, ca 1918.  The image is by Underwood and Underwood for the War Department.

November 1918 was, of course, a moment of true thanksgiving in the world, as it marked the end of the War to End all Wars.  Unfortunately we did not do so well with that resolution.  It seems such a naive phrase now.  But it does express a universal sentiment. and still it is a delightful picture.  It offers a glimpse into the lives of these two totally delighted men.