Model 1872 dragon officer's crest helmet of Louis Marie de Vallavieille (1886-1964), then lieutenant in the 17th Dragoon Regiment. Nickel-plated shell. Godron crest, pomegranate headband, velvet-lined scale chinstrap and patinated brass snap ring. Black horsehair mane with braid. Scarlet horsehair plume with silver trimmings. Leather inner headpiece edged with a petit fer frieze. Nuquière marked "Lieutenant Louis Marie de Vallavieille, 17e dragons". A.B.E. Historical background: Louis Marie de Vallavieille, a Saint-Cyrien, was a lieutenant in the 17th Dragons in 1914. He spent the entire war with this regiment, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille Interalliée. Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1930, he was made an officer in 1939. He became captain of the 5th cuirassiers regiment in 1929.