The Grand Old Duke of York

New Vision? - Could the Soldiers Be Marching to What Seems to Be a Storage Box Comment on Our Desire to Find Peace by Moving to Stop Wars?

We see an old man playing with toy soldiers that they seem to be able to move on their own as if they were battery operated, something that mirrors the age of technology in which this picture was created. The old man salutes each soldier with a lugubrious smile on his lips that shows he admires the soldiers and that he may be thanking them for their service. He could be representing our collective awareness of those who fought wars to keep the rest of us safe.

The hat he wears is a military cap.The toy soldiers climb up a hill of books, which could actually be alluding to the famous battles and skirmishes throughout the history of humankind that are written down in books.

There are a variety of bright colors in this picture, but the colors are somewhat muted and soft lending this “military” scene a light, non-threatening and non-violent tone. His motley outfit does not identify him as belonging to any particular class or ethnic background so that he could be any one of us. Could the soldiers be marching to what seems to be a storage box to comment on our desire to find peace by moving to stop wars? Could the fact that there is more than one type of uniform represent the armies of different nations? Clearly, if there are no more wars, we do not need any more soldiers and we can disarm or “put them away”. The dog in the picture could be symbolic of our move toward peace with others because he is “man’s best friend”. He could symbolize the loyalty with which these soldiers who are no longer needed served their country.