Courage in Miniature: Dickey Chapelle & David Gilkey Collector Tribute
To support a groundbreaking toy industry program, the War Toys® nonprofit organization has released pewter “army men” of legendary photojournalists Dickey Chapelle and David Gilkey. David’s figure is paired with a 45 RPM record featuring Madeleine Peyroux’s beautiful cover of the Men at Work anti-war classic “It’s a Mistake” and a soundscape of war (with support from NPR) captured by David in Afghanistan.
War Toys is fostering high quality toys that are affordable and accessible to the most children worldwide. To achieve this, they are partnering with generic toymakers in China and investing in new toy lines that promote social impact in subtle, market-friendly ways. As pilot and proof of concept, David, Dickey, and ten other noncombatant figures (Photojournalists, Frontline Rescuers, and Aid Workers) will soon be added to sets of plastic soldiers sold worldwide, along with a free, educational boardgame. The game, which introduces players to the vital work of noncombatants, is being released in 41 languages, making it playable by an estimated 1.768 billion children around the world.
Born Georgette Louise Meyer, Dickey Chapelle (1919-1965) was a force of nature, beloved by the soldiers she photographed and revered as both an accomplished war correspondent and trailblazer for women working in photojournalism.
Dickey started her career as a combat photojournalist during the battle of Iwo Jima in WWII. Always wearing her trademark pearl earrings and harlequin glasses, she spent the next twenty years covering conflicts from Korea to the Hungarian Revolution (during which, she was arrested by the Red Army for espionage).
Dickey Chapelle’s remarkable life came to untimely end in Vietnam sixty years ago on November 4th, 1965. While on patrol with US Marines, she was struck in the neck by shrapnel from a booby-trap. Dickey was the first female correspondent killed during the Vietnam War, and the first American female photojournalist ever to be killed in action. At the time of her death, the Marines buried her with full military honors and issued a statement, “She was one of us, and we will miss her.” Dickey was made an honorary Marine in 2017.
We are honored to be working with Dickey's estate. Her family, with support from the Wisconsin Historical Society, provided amazing access to Dickey’s cameras, clothing, and gear – all of which was reproduced in incredible detail by sculptor David Lea in standard 1:32 scale. Included on the figure are:
- Dickey’s trademark harlequin glasses and pearl earrings;
- The K-bar knife given to her by a Marine on Iwo Jima;
- Her Leica M3 and IIIc cameras;
- The Nikonos-I camera she used for the “Water War in Vietnam” assignment, shot for National Geographic;
- The Australian brush hat that later became as iconic as her earrings.
David Gilkey (1966-2016) was an American photojournalist with a remarkable eye and deep appreciation for humanity. For nearly 20 years, he covered everything from the end of apartheid in South Africa to the earthquake in Haiti. However, David was best known for his work in and around conflict, beginning with assignments to Iraq and Afghanistan for the Detroit Free Press.
Like Dickey Chapelle, David often worked alongside soldiers, embedding himself with military units fighting in the field. Following a sad, similar path to her, David Gilkey was killed by Taliban forces on June 5th, 2016 while on assignment in Afghanistan for NPR.
War Toys is honored to be working with David’s estate, singer/songwriter Madeleine Peyroux, and NPR on a very special release. We've created 300, hand-numbered sets for adult collectors, featuring a pewter cast of David's "army man" and a 7" vinyl record.
The 1.5" (38mm) tall pewter figure of David was brilliantly sculpted by Anissa Tchoub and guided by his friends, family, and colleagues. It includes small, personal details that speak to David's enduring character and approach.
The A-side of the accompanying vinyl record has a "music box" version of Madeleine Peyroux's hauntingly-beautiful cover of “It's a Mistake,” created for War Toys. Madeline recorded the piece on Armistice Day in a basement studio in Harlem, accompanied by her longtime friends and collaborators Andy Ezrin and Graham Hawthorne.
The B-side has an ambient recording of war, captured by David Gilkey while embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Working for National Public Radio, he kept a field recorder on his helmet (depicted on his figure) to provide added context for his photographs. Please note that the recording is NOT intended for children, and its content could be triggering, especially for those who have experienced combat. It captures the perilous and often-conflicting experience of a photojournalist covering war from the frontlines.
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