A friend discovered this vintage Zenith Oceanic Shortwave Radio in the attic, and he asked me if I’d like to light paint it. Of course, I told him yes — the result is this WWII narrative still life.

This is from my series of narrative still lifes. The story I had in mind when I created this composition was set a few days after D-Day in World War II. A father in Brooklyn, New York, is tuning in on his shortwave radio to get the latest news from the front, as the Allies move from the beaches into the French countryside.

His son Paul (my father-in-law, and that is his portrait) is in the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps is a key part of the invasion, digging through the beach dunes and building temporary bridges. They also build the infrastructure the troops need as they fight their way to Paris.

The father tunes his radio with precision and anxiously waits for any voices from afar. It’s a little past 3:30 AM. He should’ve been in bed long ago. He has to go to work soon. But he’s hoping to hear whether the invasion was successful — or a complete disaster. Is his son alive? Only time will tell.

Staging the WWII Narrative Still Life

The wallpaper is a 1940s-style wallpaper. It might be a little busy. But after looking at so many wallpapers from that era, apparently, that was the style back then. The Camel cigarettes and box were Paul’s favorite smoke. The newspapers are vintage D-Day newspapers that I bought on eBay. The envelopes are letters written by servicemen during World War II that I also bought on eBay.

The Zenith Oceanic shortwave radio was, in fact, used by many Americans to tune in to home-front war news like this. This particular model is from the 1950s, which is close enough for my narrative.

I hope this WWII narrative still life captures a piece of that wait. For families back home, every broadcast carried real weight.

–Bobby