Ship Shape by Roy R. Behrens

“In France the word was a slang term used by theatrical people to denote their facial make-up, such as the attachment of false noses, painting up of the face, and general disguising of features. A man or woman who applied camouflage was known as a camoufleur. When the French army found it necessary to disguise gun batteries and other military equipment, the men employed for this service were taken from the ranks. Property makers, sign painters, and handymen who had been employed around theaters were specially impressed for the purpose, and when these men spoke of their work they used the word ‘camouflage.’ That is how the term came into military and popular use.”

-Maximilian Toch, 1918