Quang Tho, a drawing

Vietnam, signed on the reverse and dated, 1965

Three women with a field gun

During the American-Vietnam War (1965-75) the North Vietnamese army made up for losses in military equipment with increased aid from the Soviet Union and China. The Vietnamese were ingenious in hiding military equipment to safeguard it. This drawing shows a field gun enclosed by a semi-permanent structure with a roof. It is inscribed with the place name Vinh Linh.

Quang Tho (1929-2001) enlisted in the army in 1945 to fight against the French and began to record events through his drawings. In 1955 he was sent by the army to the Fine Arts College, Hanoi, graduating in 1963. From 1963 to 1975 he continued to serve with the army during the war against America, achieving the rank of colonel. He served in some of the most dangerous places, often drawing while he was actually under fire or being bombed.

J. Harrison-Hall, Vietnam Behind the Lines: Imag (London, British Museum Press, 2002)