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With over 135 posters in its holdings, the WWI Poster Collection represents a wide variety of images used for propaganda purposes during the First World War. The posters were direct in their appeal and used easily-grasped and, indeed, stereotyped images to sway public opinion. After news of alleged German atrocities in Belgium reached the U.S., the image of the 'Hun' was repeatedly employed to arouse public animosity against the enemy. Fred Strothmann's famous poster "Beat Back the Hun" (right) is a classic example. The posters cover a variety of themes - including the role of women in the war effort, liberty loan drives and resource conservation.
The Wilson government's Division of Pictorial Publicity of the Committee on Public Information employed over 300 of the most prominent illustrators of the time. Many of the poster artists were prominent magazine illustrators, etchers, lithographers and writers. Joseph Pennell, for instance, was noted for his architectural drawings and his cover illustrations for Harper's Magazine.
Joseph Pennell's poster portraying New York City under seige is now tragically relevant.
This striking poster went through two million prints. It was so popular that Pennell even wrote a book about it. He described the image as,
"New York City bombed, shot down, burning, blown up by an enemy".
Alonzo Foringer's works include not only posters but also Canadian and European bank notes.
In its entirety the College's poster Collection presents a multifaceted view of American society during wartime. The breadth and variety of the posters in this Collection make it extremely valuable as an introduction to the political, social, economic and graphic art trends during the First World War in the United States.
For more information about WWI Posters, refer to the following sources in our catalog:
Borkan, Gary A. World War I Posters. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publications, 2002.
Nudelman, Edward D. Jessie Willcox Smith : A Bibliography. Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub. Co., 1989.
Paret, Peter, et al. Persuasive Images : Posters of War and Revolution from the Hoover Institution Archives. Princeton, NJ : Princeton University, 1992.
Pennell, Joseph. Liberty Loan Poster: A Textbook for Artists and Amateurs, Governments and Teachers and Printers. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1918. See digital version online at the Internet Archive
Rawls, Walton. Wake Up, America! World War I and the American Poster. New York: Abbeville Press, 1988.
Reed, Walt. The Illustrator in America, 1880-1980 : A Century of Illustration. New York: Madison Square Press,1984.
Reed, Walt. The Illustrator in America, 1900-1960's. New York: Reinhold Pub. Corp., 1967.
Theofiles, George. American Posters of World War I : A Price and Collector's Guide. New York: Dafran House, 1973.
The Archives and Special Collections has a small collection of World War II posters, which includes a series of streetcar posters (including some original art work) advertising war-related work at Lancaster-based Armstrong Cork Company. Scroll through the Armstrong posters below.
