File:Paper amulet in the shape of a black cat, England, 1914-1918 Wellcome L0057382.jpg

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Paper amulet in the shape of a black cat, England, 1914-1918
Title
Paper amulet in the shape of a black cat, England, 1914-1918
Description

A black cat crosses your path – good luck or bad luck? A soldier used this black cat as a good luck charm during the First World War. It’s an amulet – an object you wear or hold in the belief it has spiritual power to protect you.

Why would the soldier need it? His London regiment were based on the Western Front, where conditions in the trenches could seem hopeless. The men had seen friends killed in action, been close to death themselves, and felt they had little control over their survival.

Spanish soldiers in the late 1800s wore amulets with the inscription ‘Détente, bala!’ – ‘Stop, bullet!’ But amulets didn’t have to be that specific, just something you could believe in. The soldier felt this black cat could bring him safety from the dangers of the war.

How effective was it? Did it make him invincible? It’s unlikely he thought so. If he got wounded, he would probably have accepted the best treatment that medicine could provide. But at the same time, he could put his hope and belief in a protective amulet. Given the soldier’s dire situation, wouldn’t you want all the help you could get?

maker: Unknown maker

Place made: London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

Medical Photographic Library
Keywords: amulet; protection

Credit line

This file comes from Wellcome Images, a website operated by Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom. Refer to Wellcome blog post (archive).
This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing.

References
  • Library reference: Science Museum A79978
  • Photo number: L0057382
Source/Photographer

https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/c0/96/69677139ebd4e3b114e20fc1627e.jpg

Licensing[edit]

w:en:Creative Commons
attribution
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current08:43, 17 October 2014Thumbnail for version as of 08:43, 17 October 20143,565 × 4,793 (2.76 MB) (talk | contribs)=={{int:filedesc}}== {{Artwork |artist = |author = |title = Paper amulet in the shape of a black cat, England, 1914-1918 |description = A black cat crosses your path � good luck or bad luck? A soldie...

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