Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company (American, founded 1903)

Date: 1918

Culture: American

Medium: Steel, leather, felt, canvas, bronze, pigment, sawdust

Dimensions: H. 9 in. (22.9 cm); W. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); D. 12 1/4 in. 

This helmet, and others in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, were designed by Bashford Dean between 1917 and 1918. Model No. 8 has a visor to provide maximum protection to the face while still allowing good visibility and movement. Model No. 5 gave more coverage to the back and sides of the head than the regulation helmet then worn by American and British troops. The Sentinel's Helmet, Model No. 7, was meant for limited use in forward positions, where heavy fire was expected. Its construction was based directly on a type of Italian helmet that was popular in the fifteenth century.