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A QUICK GUIDE TO WORLD WAR ONE PROPAGANDA POSTERS
A Quick Guide
World War One
Propaganda
Posters
Basil Carryer
TIRINE
1
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A QUICK GUIDE TO WORLD WAR ONE PROPAGANDA POSTERS
Copyright
Published by Tirine Publishing
P.O. Box 35034, Browns’s Bay
Auckland, 0753, New Zealand
Web: www.tirine.com
Text copyright © Basil Carryer 2014
Image source: United States Library of Congress, World War One Poster Collection
ISBN 978-0-9582574-0-4
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/nz/
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
CC BY-NC-ND
Basil Carryer lectures at the University of Waikato and has an interest in Social Studies
and History Education.
Acknowledgement
The author and publisher would like to thank the United States Library of
Congress for the use of the images of World War One posters which have
been used to illustrate this publication.
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Contents
Introduction
4
Parliamentary Recruitment Committee
7
Committee on Public Information
10
Common Propaganda Strategies
13
Other Wartime Poster Themes
35
Portrayal of Women
43
Analysing a Poster
52
Model Poster Worksheet
54
References
55
Cover image:
Title: Are You in This?
Artist: Kemp-Welch, Edith.
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A Note About World War One Posters
Time has taken its toll on many of the posters dating back to World War One.
While some posters used in this publication are in remarkably good condition,
others are torn, creased or have been affected by the browning of the paper on
which they were printed. The author has attempted to restore these posters to
their original condition. Most commonly, this has included touching up tears and
creases. In some cases missing sections have been replaced. Colours have also
been adjusted in some cases to better represent the posters as they would have
appeared when first printed. Shown below is an example of how a poster has
been restored.
Before
After
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Introduction
The study of propaganda posters from World War One provides a valuable
learning experience. Many of the approaches used to persuade the sometimes
reluctant masses to support the war effort are still evident in advertising today.
Why focus on World War One?
Wartime posters published in Britain and the United States between 1914 and
1918 provide a fascinating insight into how governments attempted to convince
their citizens that participation in the war was both essential and a duty.
Acceptance was vital for the British government because of its reluctance to
introduce conscription. At the outbreak of war, Britain could only mobilise a
relatively small professional army. There was an urgent need to swell the ranks
with volunteers. While thousands of young men did volunteer for military service
during the first few weeks of the war, this initial enthusiasm waned quickly.
Recruitment campaigns in Britain from 1915 became more reliant on posters
rather than patriotic fervour to attract the number of volunteers needed to
support the British war effort.
War propaganda emerged from commercial advertising. Both were based on
similar principles. As with commercial advertising, propaganda posters were
designed to catch the eye and get an instant response from the viewer.
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Size
Wartime posters needed to be large so that they caught the eye of people walking
past and stood out from the other advertising posted about the streets. Posters
averaged in size from 75 x 50 cms to 105 x 76 cms.
Colour
Posters used forceful colours such as red, orange and blue to help attract the eye
of viewers. Text was often white so that it stood out against the darker
background. Some text-only posters relied on the patriotic colours of red and
blue to reinforce their message.
Images and Message
Images were important as they had to convey their message to both literate and
illiterate viewers. To achieve this goal they had to be simple, easily recognisable
by the viewer and illustrate or repeat the point being made by the text. In some
posters, the images presented imaginary renditions of events designed to gain an
emotional response such as the sinking of the Lusitania. The message
accompanying the image also had to be simple and short. Many posters used five
words or less. Often, the word ‘Enlist’ was sufficient to communicate the
intended message and in rare cases, like the example shown on the next page, no
words were used at all.
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A soldier beckoning is the sole image used in this
recruitment poster published by the Parliamentary
Recruitment Committee. (Number 129)
US Library of Congress
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Parliamentary Recruitment
Committee
Britain was not prepared for war in August 1914. It
could only mobilise just over 733,000 men. The
Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith with the support
of his cabinet decided not to introduce conscription.
He believed the war would be over before it became
necessary.1 He also felt that it went against Britain’s
Liberal tradition. Conscription was to be a test of
Asquith’s wartime leadership. The recruitment of
able volunteers to swell the ranks of the army
therefore was his, and the government’s priority.
British PM, Herbert Asquith
US Library of Congress
The Parliamentary Recruiting Committee or PRC was formed on 31 August 1914,
almost one month after war was declared. This cross-party organisation was
chaired by Asquith. The 32 member PRC was given the task of overseeing and
coordinating all recruitment activities. In the years leading up to the outbreak of
war, annual recruitment numbers had fallen well below what was required by the
British Army. The declaration of war on 4 August 1914 created a wave of
patriotism that swept the country. Within four days of war being declared, over
8,000 volunteers had signed up for service. Between the 9 and 15 August, 43,000
enlisted.2
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The PRC poster campaign
The Publicity and Publications branch of the
PRC produced over 164 recruitment poster
designs between September 1914 and the
introduction of conscription in January, 1916.
The success of these posters is open to debate.
There was an initial rush of volunteers in the
first two months of the war driven by a patriotic
wave of enthusiasm which swept the country.
Many of these new recruits signed up for
military service before the PRC even came into
existence. After October, 1914 recruitment
numbers went into a steady decline. Military
historian, Peter Simkins argues that external
factors like the Battle of Ypres and even the One of the first PRC posters.
bombardment of Scarborough had a greater (Poster Number 6)
US Library of Congress
impact on recruitment numbers than the PRC
propaganda posters.3
By late 1915, it was obvious that the reliance on volunteers to fill the ranks of the
army was unrealistic. The massive casualties suffered by the British coupled with
the need to enlist millions to fight meant that conscription could not be avoided.
The PRC, was reformed as the Parliamentary War Savings Committee. Their
focus switched to encouraging Britons to invest in war savings as it became
obvious that the financial cost of fighting the war over a period of years was going
to place significant demands on the country’s resources.
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The Kitchener poster
An often repeated ‘fact’ is that the poster of Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for
War was the first published by the PRC. This belief is wrong according to
historian, James Taylor. The image of Kitchener by Alfred Leete first appeared
on the cover of the London Opinion
magazine on the 5 September, 1914 a
month after war was declared. The poster
was adapted from that cover and was
printed privately with a limited print run.
It used the caption, “BRITONS (Lord
Kitchener) Wants YOU - Join Your
Country’s Army!” followed by “God Save
the King”. The words “God Save the
King” were added at Kitchener’s request
as he was uncomfortable with the focus
being on him.4 Few copies of this poster
are known to exist today.
The 1914 London Opinion cover featuring a
pointing Lord Kitchener.
US Library of Congress
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Committee on
Public Information
The decision by the United States to declare war
on Germany presented President Wilson with a
problem: how to gain public support after years of
promoting the advantages of neutrality. His first
thought was to introduce a Bill that would “oversee and restrict public speech”.5 He believed that
public opinion and the economy were the key to
successful mobilisation. The Committee on Public
Information (CPI) was created on the 6 April
1917, the same day that America declared war on
Germany. Head of the Committee was George
Creel, a journalist and friend of Wilson.
George Creel, the head of the
CPI.
US Library of Congress
Creel convinced Wilson not to introduce censorship. His solution instead was
“expression, not suppression” of information.6 Under Creel, the CPI took on the
challenging role of mobilising and sustaining public support for the war using
propaganda. During the relatively short time between America’s entry into the
war in April 1917 and the end of hostilities in November, 1918 the Division of
Pictorial Publicity, a branch of the CPI produced over 2,500 poster designs and
printed an estimated 20 million posters.
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Division of Pictorial Publicity
The CPI recruited some of America’s leading advertising illustrators and cartoonists to produce war posters. Charles Gibson, a nationally known commercial
illustrator was appointed head of the Division of Pictorial Publicity. He led a
team of over 300 noted illustrators including Joseph Pennell, James Montgom-
ery Flagg and Howard Chandler Christy. A group of these illustrators became
known as the ‘Vigilantes’ as all were zealous supporters of America’s war effort.7
Christy, the most widely known of the Vigilantes was a seasoned frontline war
artist. He was noted for having done illustrations of the Spanish-American War
for several magazines.8 His ‘Christy Girl’, already a well-known image in American popular culture since its introduction in 1895 featured on a number of wartime posters.
Howard Chandler Christy’s famous ‘Christy Girl’.
US Library of Congress
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The Uncle Sam poster
The iconic poster of Uncle Sam was the work of artist James Montgomery Flagg.
The image of Uncle Sam first appeared on a magazine cover in 1916. According to
Flagg, he used himself as a model.9 Flagg based his poster on the Kitchener
poster and asked the question, “What are YOU doing for preparedness?”. Flagg’s
Uncle Sam was authoritarian, unlike previous versions which had usually
presented him as an elderly, gentle figure. The army used Flagg’s magazine
image for a recruiting poster, adding the words “I want you for the U.S. Army”. It
printed four million copies.
Montgomery Flagg.
US Library of Congress/Bain Collection
Flagg’s Uncle Sam.
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Common Propaganda
Strategies
There are many different definitions of the word, ‘propaganda’. This definition is
an appropriate one for visual propaganda.
Propaganda
The communication of information for the sole purpose of
promoting a cause or attempting to discredit an opposing
cause by influencing the emotions, opinions and actions of
a specific audience.
Given in the next section is a list of strategies commonly used in the World War
One propaganda posters of Britain and the United States. Some of the strategies
described and illustrated are drawn from the widely known list of Seven Common
Propaganda Devices published by an American Organisation, The Institute of
Propaganda Analysis in 1937.
Propaganda: good or bad?
It is worth remembering that propaganda need not be thought of as a bad thing.
Any country at war needs to mobilise public opinion to support its actions. In the
case of World War One and World War Two, the Home Front, for the first time in
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modern warfare, became as important in gaining victory as the Front. While
recruiting men to fight was inevitably a major focus of propaganda, it was also
necessary to gain public support for war savings schemes to fund the war effort.
Neither Britain or America had the financial resources to fight the war over an
extended period of time without this money. By 1917, Britain was nearly bankrupt and was only saved by a $700 million loan from the United States.10 The
United States was in part able to make loans to other allied countries due to the
success of its own Liberty Loans which raised billions of dollars from the American public.11
Propaganda was used to raise money from the public through the sale of Liberty
Bonds and Savings Stamps. This money was important in financing the American
war effort and lending money to allies.
US Library of Congress
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Name Calling
Name calling encourages people to form a judgement without pausing to examine the evidence. It appeals to the fears and hatreds of an audience with the aim
of connecting a person, event or activity to a negative image or symbol.
Title: Beat Back the Hun with Liberty Bonds.
Artist: Strothmann, F, 1872-.
Date Created/Published: USA, [1918]
Medium: Print, colour.
Summary: The terrifying figure of a German
soldier with bloody bayonet and hands looms
up on the horizon. The aim of the poster is to
encourage Americans to invest in Liberty
Bonds.
US Library of Congress
“Hun”
was a derogatory term used by the Allies during World War One to
describe German soldiers. The intention was to associate the enemy with the barbarians, the brutal, warlike nomadic tribes that originated from Central Asia. The
term as applied to German soldiers actually originated from Kaiser Wilhelm II,
when addressing his troops in China.12 Other common names for German
soldiers during World War One were bosch, fritz and jerry. 13
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Glittering Generalities
This strategy aims to associate a person, policy or action with a positive virtue
through the use of words like love, generosity, freedom, truth, courage, honour,
liberty, justice and progress. This strategy is opposite to Name Calling in that it
tries to persuade the audience to accept something.
Title: At the Front!
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
76 x 50 cm.
Poster Number: 84
Summary: British soldiers on horse-back are
shown narrowly avoiding an exploding shell.
The soldiers are described as brave, therefore encouraging the audience to regard
them as making sacrifices on behalf of their
country.
US Library of Congress
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Transfer
Propagandists use this strategy to transfer the authority and prestige of something people respect, e.g. the national flag or the personification of the nation to
something or someone they want the audience to respect.
Title: National Service
Artist: Scott, Septimus Edwin. 1879
-1965.
Date Created/Published: London,
D.A. & S. [1917]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
102 x 77 cm.
Summary: Britannia holding the
Union Jack points into the distance
supposedly at the German threat.
The caption calls for men to defend
“your island from the grimmest
menace” a quote from Prime
Minister, David Lloyd George.
US Library of Congress
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Testimonial
This common strategy uses popular and respected public figures to endorse or
provide testimonials concerning a proposed action or policy. It assumes that if
people respect a person, they are more likely to follow their advice or do what they
say.
Title: Lord Kitchener says...
Summary: A colour portrait of Lord
Kitchener is shown alongside quotes
from a speech he presented at Guildhall
on 9 July, 1915. Kitchener the Secretary
of State for War was a popular and highly
respected figure in Britain at the time.
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee,
[1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour;
50 x 75 cm.
Poster Number: 113
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Card Stacking
Card stacking seeks to deceive people by presenting half-truths. Facts or other
evidence that support a person or action are promoted while any facts that don’t
are omitted. Associated with this strategy is the use of ‘red herrings’ or information deliberately intended to be misleading as a way of diverting attention
away from the main issue.
Title: Take Up the Sword of Justice
Artist: Partridge, Bernard. 1861Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour; 76 x 50 cm.
Poster Number: 105
Summary: A female figure rises from the
sea holding a sword. In the background
are people drowning and the torpedoed
passenger ship Lusitania.
US Library of Congress
The passenger ship Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat in 1914 during a
scheduled voyage from New York to Liverpool. It was not revealed at the time
that on board was a shipment of munitions for the British army. Germany had
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already posted a warning advising American passengers that travel on allied
ships was at their own risk. The sinking has raised much controversy since with
some historians suggesting that Britain deliberately allowed the Lusitania to
become a target in the hope that its sinking, and the loss of American passenger
lives would bring the United States into the war.14
Title: Irishmen avenge the Lusitania
Date Created/Published: Dublin,
Central Council for the Organisation of
Recruiting in Ireland, [1915]
Medium: Chromolithograph, colour;
76 x 50 cm.
Summary: The poster shows the Lusitania
sinking in flames while people struggle in
the water. The Lusitania was sunk off the
Irish coast.
US Library of Congress
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Revenge
Stirring up a desire for revenge was a strategy used occasionally by World War
One poster designers. Events that stirred public outrage provided the necessary
focus. Notable events included the invasion by Germany of neutral Belgium, the
sinking of the Lusitania and the Scarborough attack.
The poster shown below was produced after bombardment of the coastal resort of
Scarborough on 16 December, 1914. Two German battle cruisers came close to
shore and began shelling the town. At about the same time, West Hartlepoole and
Whitby were bombarded by three other German battle cruisers. The attack on
Hartlepoole, an industrial town with docks and factories killed 9 soldiers, 97 civilian men and women and 37 children. Scarborough and Whitby suffered fewer
losses with 21 killed and 100 wounded.15
Title: Men of Britain! Will You Stand for This?
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting
Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 102 x 76 cm.
Poster Number: 51
Summary: This highly emotive poster shows a
young girl holding a baby. She is standing near
the shattered remains of a family home.
US Library of Congress
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Bandwagon
The goal of this strategy is to convince the audience that a person, idea or action
has widespread support, even if it doesn’t. By making something seem popular, it
will lead others to believe that it is something they should also be doing. This
approach is still used in advertising today.
This poster suggests that many young men were volunteering for military service
in 1915. In reality, by the time this poster was published, voluntary enlistment was
on the decline in Britain.
Title: There’s Room for YOU. Enlist Today.
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee,
[1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
76 x 50 cm.
Poster number: 122
Summary: Shown is a happy, excited
group of young soldiers waving farewell from a train to well-wishers.
The message to the audience is that
there is still time to enlist and be part
of this exciting adventure.
US Library of Congress
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The poster below provides another example of the bandwagon approach. This
image and statement suggests that men of all social classes are resigning their
positions and enlisting in the army.
Title: Step Into Your Place
Date Created/Published:
London, Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph,
colour ; 50 x 75 cm.
Poster Number: 104
US Library of Congress
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Patriotism
An appeal to patriotism was a common propaganda strategy during World War
One. Many earlier posters included patriotic symbols like the flag, the royal crown
or the British lion. John Bull, the national personification of Britain and Britannia
feature also. Slogans such as “God Save the King”, “Rally Round the Flag!” and
“Fight for King and Empire” were frequently used in the earlier posters where
patriotism was assumed to provide the necessary motivation for young men to
enlist.
Title: Your King and Country Need You.
Artist: Wood, Lawson, 1878-1957.
Date Created/Published: London
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee,
[1914]
Poster Number: 18
Summary: A veteran shakes the hand of a
soldier about to board a train. Beneath
the picture are the words, “A chip off the
old block” suggesting that these young
soldiers are prepared to go and fight for
their country just as others have done in
the past.
US Library of Congress
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It is interesting to compare the previous poster with the one below. The earlier
version (shown on the previous page) was produced soon after the PRC was
formed and placed a greater reliance on the use of patriotic slogans, e.g. “King
and Country” and “Honour and Glory”. In this later poster, the veteran is no
longer stooped and the soldier appears to be much younger. He is looking at the
veteran rather than gazing away into the distance. The sketched background of
the first showing a soldier farewelling his family at a train station is replaced with
a more realistic scene showing a group of new conscripts marching past.
Title: The Veteran's Farewell. Enlist
Now!
Artist: Dadd, Frank, 1851-1929.
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee,
[1914]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 75 x 50
cm.
Poster Number: 63
Summary: The Veteran’s Farewell is a
reworking of a previous poster with
the same central characters. The veteran is farewelling a young soldier
with the words “Good Bye, my lad. I
only wish I were young enough to go
with you!” In the background are
men marching to enlist.
US Library of Congress
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Guilt
Masculinity and society’s expectations of men became a central theme in many of
the recruitment posters published in Britain during 1915. The ‘Order of the White
Feather’ was very active at that time. Female members of the Order would
approach men in public places who were not in uniform and present them with a
white feather, a symbol of cowardice.19 Posters used a similar strategy to
embarrass or shame men into enlisting.
This poster targets patriotic guilt. It is set in a future time after the war and
suggests that children will hold their fathers to account if they fail to do their duty
for king and country.
Title: Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great
War?
Artist: Lumley, Saville
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 76 x 50 cm.
Poster Number: 79
Summary: In this well-known poster a young
girl paging through a book pauses to ask her
father what he did in the Great War. The
father looks sheepishly away suggesting that
he did not fight. Meanwhile, his son plays
with toy soldiers on the floor.
US Library of Congress
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A similar strategy challenging the masculinity of men is used in this poster
published in Ireland. The woman, holding a rifle poses the question, “Will you go
or must I?” as she gestures towards the burning city labelled ‘Belgium’ in the
distance.
Title: For the Glory of Ireland.
Date Created/Published: Dublin,
Ireland.
Hely’s Limited Litho, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
74 x 50 cm.
US Library of Congress
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Personal Appeal
The personal appeal strategy attempts to establish an emotional link between the
viewer and the character in the poster. The figure appears to be staring directly at
the viewer and the pointing finger reinforces the point that the message is
personal. The famous Kitchener poster discussed earlier and the iconic American
version, Uncle Sam Needs You are other examples of this strategy.
Title: Who's Absent? Is it You?
Date Created/Published: London
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 74 x 50 cm.
Poster Number: 125
Summary: The poster shows John Bull pointing
and addressing the viewer, with the question,
“Who’s absent? Is it You?”. In the background
are burning buildings and a line of soldiers with
gaps indicating some are missing.
US Library of Congress
The use of John Bull is significant in this poster. John Bull is the symbolic figure
used to represent Britain and its people. The Union Jack waistcoat is another way
of reinforcing this point. The artist uses just five words that demand a response
from any reader passing by. Note also the use of two different typefaces for
“Who’s absent?” and “Is it You?”. These help visually separate the more formal
question about absence from the personalised one.
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A similar strategy is used in this earlier PRC poster. It uses images of the king
and a map of Britain. This poster makes a statement rather than asking a
question, suggesting that it is reasonable to expect young men to enlist and fight
for their king and country.
Title: Surely You Will Fight for Your
[King] and [Country].
Date Created/Published: London
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, [1914]
Poster Number: 83
US Library of Congress
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Duty
A problem faced by the PRC was how to get married men to enlist. Many married
men held the view that their first duty was to care for their family, not to go off to
war. Others simply believed that the war was for others to fight. Promoting the
message that the war effort was a duty for all became a strategy adopted in a
number of PRC posters. The aim of these posters was to negate any excuses that
men might have for not enlisting.
The message in this poster is very clear. Men can’t use families or wives as their
excuse for not enlisting. It is those same women who are telling their men that
they must go and fight.
Title: Women of Britain say GO!
Date Created/Published: London
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 74 x 50 cm.
Poster Number: 75
Summary: Two women and a young boy
stand at a window watching a troop of
soldiers march past. The inference is that
among the soldiers is a husband, father or
brother of one of the women. The two
women bravely watch the soldiers march
away.
US Library of Congress
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Below is another version of this strategy in which an elderly woman, presumably
the young man’s mother is telling him that he must go and do his duty. This poster was published after the one shown on the previous page.
Title: GO! It’s your duty lad.
Date Created/Published: London
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee,
[1915]
Poster Number: 109
US Library of Congress
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Fear
The use of fear as a propaganda strategy has both advantages and disadvantages
which probably explains why it was used sparingly in posters. On the one hand,
fear can be a powerful motivator for getting people to support a cause. On the
other hand, it is important during wartime to maintain public morale. The public
must believe that the war is winnable otherwise there is no point in fighting.
Title: Is YOUR home worth fighting
for?
Date Created/Published: Dublin
[1915]
Medium: Chromolithograph, colour ;
76 x 50 cm.
Summary: A family preparing for
their evening meal are disturbed by
German soldiers bursting into their
home with bayonets drawn.
US Library of Congress
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Title: It is far better to face the
bullets...
Date Created/Published: London
[1915] Publicity Dept. Central
Recruiting Depot.
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 74 x 50
cm.
Summary: A German zeppelin is lit
up by a searchlight in the skies over
London.
US Library of Congress
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Other Wartime
Poster Themes
Recruitment of soldiers was a priority and therefore the focus of many posters
produced during World War One in both Britain and the United States. Other
wartime needs were also promoted through posters. These included justification
of the war, raising of loans to finance the war effort, conservation of resources,
support for other war torn countries and guidance on acceptable behaviour.
Official and semi-official organisations produced posters aimed at educating
the public on how to behave during wartime.
US Library of Congress
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War Loans
The British Treasury issued the first war loan in November 1914.16 These war
loans had a relatively high interest rate making them an attractive investment
and enabling the government to finance much of the war effort. Investment in
these loans was promoted by the Parliamentary War Savings Committee (PWSC)
using posters like the one shown here.
Title: Lend Your Five Shillings to
Your Country...
Date Created/Published: London
Parliamentary War Savings
Committee, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
76 x 51 cm.
Poster Number: 23
Summary: A German soldier is
shown being crushed under the
weight of a giant coin making the
link between war loans and
defeating the enemy.
US Library of Congress
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The United States followed the British example for raising funds by issuing war
bonds named Liberty Bonds. The first Liberty Loan was issued in June, 1917 and
a second in October of that year. A War Loan organisation was formed to promote the bonds through speaking engagements, advertisements and posters.
Sales of the bonds were so successful that it is estimated that half of all adults in
the United States purchased them.17
Title: Your Forefathers Died for Liberty
in 1776...
Date Created/Published: Toledo, Ohio.
[1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
104 x 69 cm.
Summary: The poster shows a Minute
Man from 1776 armed with a rifle and
fighting for liberty. The image aims to stir
a feeling of patriotism in Americans and
promote the sale of Liberty Bonds.
US Library of Congress
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Conservation
Conservation of essential resources like oil, rubber and iron is always essential
during wartime. Equally important is the conservation of food supplies. Sufficient
food must be available to feed both the soldiers fighting overseas and the civilian
population at home.
Title: Can Vegetables, Fruit and the Kaiser
Too.
Artist: Verrees, J.
Date Created/Published: Washington, DC.
National War Garden Commission [1918]
Medium: Print, colour ; 52 x 63 cm.
Summary: The poster shows jars of
canned goods with labels including
Peas, Tomatoes, and Monarch Brand
Unsweetened which contains a caricature
of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany.
US Library of Congress
Britain, the United States and other allied countries encouraged citizens to grow
their own produce in private, public and school gardens, (Victory Gardens).
Preservation of produce was also promoted as a way of helping maintain national
food supplies.
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Rationing and restrictions on the availability of certain foods was part of life for
civilians during the war. The public was reminded to be careful with the food
they ate so that wastage could be avoided.
Title: Food is ammunition
Artist: Sheridan, J. E.
Date Created/Published: Washington, DC.
United States Food Administration [1918]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
Summary: The poster links the wastage of
food to the wastage of ammunition with a
basket of food in the foreground and the
silhouette of soldiers in the distance.
US Library of Congress
Title: Get behind our soldiers, sailors and our allies
Date Created/Published: Washington, DC. US Food Administration [1917]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 28 x 53 cm
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US Library of Congress
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Labour
As the war progressed, gaps left in the workforce by men going overseas to fight
were filled by women. The manufacture of munitions was essential as was the
production of food. Posters like the one shown here promoted the message that
working on the Home Front was as essential to winning the war as fighting on
the Front.
Title: Are You in This?
Artist: Baden-Powell
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee
[1917]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 76 x 50 cm.
Poster Number: 112
Summary: A poster showing men and
women labouring to support the war
effort. In the background are soldiers and
sailors. A well-dressed man stands to the
right looking on with his hands in his
pockets.
US Library of Congress
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Aid
Supporting victims of war in Europe was a focus for several relief organisations
in Britain and the United States including the Red Cross, the Commission for Relief in Belgium and the American Committee for Relief in the Near East. These
organisations raised money to help provide food and clothing for women and
children in these war affected countries.
Title: Lest We Perish
Artist: Betts, Ethel Franklin
Date Created/Published: New York
Cornwall Graphic Co. [1918]
Medium: Print, colour ; 52 x 63 cm.
Summary: A near Eastern girl
stands with her arms outstretched
pleading for help.
US Library of Congress
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Justifying the War
Governments in Britain and America needed to justify involvement in the war in
order to gain the support of the public. The poster shown below was released by
the PRC in 1915. It contained the text from a speech given by the Prime Minister,
Herbert Asquith.
Title: Why More Men Are Needed.
Date Created/Published: London
PRC [1914]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
101 x 63 cm.
Summary: The Prime Minister’s speech.
“ It is going to be a long drawn-out struggle.
We shall not sheathe the sword until Belgium
recovers all and more than all, she has sacrificed;
Until France is adequately secured against the
menace of aggression;
Until the rights of the smaller nations are placed
in an unassailable foundation;
Until the military domination of Prussia is finally
destroyed”.
THE PRIME MINISTER
At the Guildhall,
November 9th, 1914
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Portrayal of Women
The traditional roles of men and women in society were challenged during World
War One. Women were needed to fill the working roles of men so that they could
be freed to fight overseas. Posters from this era, however show many traditional
roles being reinforced. Some show women as innocent victims in need of protection. Others reinforce expectations of male roles in society by challenging their
masculinity if they have failed to volunteer for military service. Some, like
Howard Chandler Christy’s ‘Christy
girl’ rely on an attractive woman to
catch both male and female attention.
In Britain, the National Union of
Women’s Suffrage Societies supported
the war and suspended its militant
campaign to win voting rights. This led
to the British Board of Trade issuing an
appeal to women to register for war
work. This work could be industrial,
clerical or agricultural.18 The appeal
led to thousands of women moving
into the workforce.
US Library of Congress
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In the United States, a similar demand for female workers emerged. As more
men were drafted overseas, businesses had to find workers able to fill their
recently vacated positions. There was a particular demand for stenographers,
telephone operators and telegraphers.
Working in what had been a male dominated world proved difficult for these
women. Wages were much lower than those paid to their male counterparts and
work places often didn’t have suitable facilities such as female restrooms. Unions
were generally opposed to women taking over work normally done by men.
Title: Honor roll of women
Date Created/Published:
Philadelphia, Civilian Service and
Labour Department. [1917]
Medium: Print, colour ;
71 x 55 cm.
Summary: Uncle Sam waits by a
board ready to record the names
of women who will volunteer to
work to win the war. Note that it
asks “Has he registered your
name for service?”.
US Library of Congress
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Victims
Artists used images of women being victimised to generate anger and hatred of
the enemy. Stories of German atrocities in Belgium were the focus of posters
published in Britain and the United States. Images of women in distress were
used in charitable campaigns to raise funds for victims of war in other parts of
Europe. The “Lest We Perish” poster shown earlier is an example.
Title: Enlist
Artist: Spear, Fred.
Date Created/Published: New York
Sackett & Wilhelms Co. [1915]
Medium: Print, colour ; 82 x 57 cm.
Summary: This powerful image shows a
mother cradling an infant under the water.
It was published in response to the sinking
of the passenger ship Lusitania by a German
U-boat.
US Library of Congress
Fred Spear’s haunting poster of the sinking of the Lusitania is more subtle. It
shows no more than a drowning mother clutching a baby with the single word,
“Enlist”. So powerful is the image that Spear did not need to include any other
reference to the Lusitania. Most viewers at the time would easily make the
connection between the drowning mother and the horror of the sinking.
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Heroes
Artists used women as personifications of the countries they represented. In the
case of Britain, Britannia was portrayed in heroic poses. Britannia was the ancient
Roman name for Britain. She is traditionally portrayed as a helmeted warrior with
a shield emblazoned with the Union Jack and a spear.
Title: Remember Scarborough!
Artist: Kemp-Welch, Edith.
Date Created/Published: London,
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee
[1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
150 x 99 cm.
Poster Number: 41
Summary: Britannia with the flag in one
hand and a sword in the other leads a
large line of men. In the background can
be seen the town of Scarborough in
flames.
US Library of Congress
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The female personification of America was traditionally Columbia. In 1917,
Americans would have easily identified her. She fell out of favour as a symbol
after World War One. Columbia was usually shown draped or dressed in the
American flag with a Phrygian cap. Ironically, Flagg’s Uncle Sam is more widely
recognised now as the personification of America.
Title: Will You Have a Part in Victory?
Artist: Flagg, James Montgomery.
Date Created/Published: [1918]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 84 x 56 cm.
Summary: Columbia is shown sowing
seeds. This poster was part of the War
Garden Commission Campaign to
encourage people to grow some of
their own food.
US Library of Congress
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Volunteers
The British and American governments were unwilling to allow woman to take on
combatant roles in the war. Women however did serve overseas in the war zone as
nurses, ambulance drivers, auxiliary nurses, telegraphers and cooks in hospitals.
Thousands of women volunteered for nursing duties in both Britain and the
United States. The British army was initially opposed to female military nurses.
The only exception was the main corps of nurses from the Queen Alexandra’s
Imperial Military Nursing Service. This attitude led some enthusiastic volunteers
Title: You Can Help
Artist: Benda, Wladslaw T.
Date Created/Published: [1918]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
77 x 51 cm.
Summary: A woman is shown knitting
an item for the soldiers fighting on the
Front.
US Library of Congress
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to join the French and Belgian forces where they assisted in setting up hospitals
and casualty clearing stations.
In the United States, the Red Cross, Patriotic League and YWCA offered opportunities for women to volunteer their services. Aside from serving overseas in the
war zone, nurses also served at home doing jobs such as rolling bandages, knit-
ting socks and working in military hospitals.
Posters of nurses often showed them tending to the wounded or even helping
dying soldiers on the battlefield. The poster below was produced to help raise
money for the French Red Cross.
Title: For the French Red Cross
Artist: Forestier, A.
Date Created/Published: [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
77 x 51 cm.
Summary: A Red Cross nurse stands
with arms extended while others help
wounded soldiers. In the background
are the flags of France and the Red
Cross.
US Library of Congress
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Workers
Demand for women to join the workforce increased as the war progressed. Female
participation in manufacturing industries became critical. Women working in
Britain’s munitions factories became known as munitionettes. They daily worked
in dangerous conditions, risking their lives while working with poisonous substances. The chemicals used in shells often turned their skin yellow.
Title: Women Are Working Day and Night
To Win the War
Date Created/Published: London, [1915]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 76 x 50 cm.
Summary: Women are shown working at a
lathe in a factory. A YWCA building can be
seen in the background.
The poster was designed to raise money
for the provision of canteens, hostels and
rest rooms for women in these factories.
US Library of Congress
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By 1915, Germany’s best chance of winning the war seemed to be starving Britain
by maintaining a U-boat blockade of shipping. Britain responded to this threat
by creating the Women’s Land Army, a force of ‘Land Girls’ from the towns and
cities who worked on farms to help maintain Britain’s food supply. This poorly
paid but important service grew to 260,000 volunteers by early 1918.19
Title: National Service Women’s Land Army
Artist: Gawthorn, H.G.
Date Created/Published: London, [1917]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ; 75 x 50 cm.
Summary: A woman is ploughing a field
with a horse-drawn plough. Beneath are
the words “God speed the plough and the
woman who drives it”.
US Library of Congress
A similar organisation known as the Women’s Land Army of America was
formed in the United States in 1917. It employed urban women to work on agricultural land and was closely associated with the American suffrage movement.
It was disbanded in 1921.
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Title: She is doing her part to win
the war.
Artist: Christy, Howard Chandler
Date Created/Published: , [1917]
Medium: Lithograph, colour ;
133 x 101 cm.
Summary: A woman is baking using
corn meal, rolled oats and barley.
US Library of Congress
Associated with the need to grow more food was the need to conserve existing
supplies. This goal was achieved by encouraging housewives to alter their recipes
to use less of some ingredients. Foods in short supply in the United States were
wheat, sugar, some meats and fats. Americans were encouraged to substitute
corn for wheat, eat more fish and beans and use syrups rather than sugar. 20 The
poster above shows a young woman cooking with corn meal rather than flour and
thereby doing her bit to support the war effort.
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Analysing a Poster
A poster is a large printed document created for the purpose of providing information or for decoration. A poster might only use text or combine text and images
to form a unified presentation. The following analysis questions can help gain
information from historical posters. It is not necessary to follow the steps in the
order they are presented here.
Artist (or illustrator)
• Who is the artist or creator of the poster?
• What was the artist’s area of specialisation?
• What purpose did the artist have for creating the poster?
• What biases might have affected the viewpoint of the artist?
• How familiar was the artist with the subject matter of the poster?
Context

Where was the poster created?

When was the poster created?
• What events or circumstances led to the creation of the poster?
Audience
• Who was the intended audience?
Purpose
• What was the main purpose for creating the poster?
Main points

What is the main point being made in the poster?
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Tone
• What is the tone of the language used in the poster?
Positive: E.g. friendly, respectful, optimistic, concerned.
Neutral: E.g. formal, honest, informative, authoritative.
Negative: E.g. harsh, judgemental, condescending, dictatorial.
Strategy
• What strategy has the artist adopted to enforce the message in the poster?
E.g, guilt, fear, revenge.
Facts or emotion
• Does the poster rely on facts, or emotion to present its message?
E.g. Are the words and images factual or emotive, imaginative or realistic?
Significance
• Why is the poster important in helping us understand the past?
An example of a worksheet has been given over the page. The page can printed.
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Poster Analysis
A QUICK GUIDE TO WORLD WAR ONE PROPAGANDA POSTERS
1.1
The propaganda posters published during World War One served several important purposes. While
recruitment was a priority, they also served other purposes, e.g. promoting savings schemes to raise
money to fight the war, promoting patriotism and preserving essential resources.
Analyse a World War One propaganda poster.
1. Context
What events would have led to the creation of this poster?
2. Purpose
Why do you think this particular poster was created?
3. Audience
Who was the intended audience?
4. Author/creator
What biases might have affected the creator of this poster?
5. Tone
What is the tone of the poster? E.g. friendly, optimistic, formal, honest, informative, authoritative, harsh, judgemental.
6. Main points
What are the main points expressed in the text on the poster?
7. Images
How does the image reinforce the message in the text?
8. Propaganda strategy
What propaganda strategy has the artist used? Consider words and images on the poster when answering this question.
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A QUICK GUIDE TO WORLD WAR ONE PROPAGANDA POSTERS
References
1.
Cassar, G. H. Asquith as War Leader. Edinburgh, UK: A & C Black. p.149
2.
Simkins, Peter. (1988) Kitchener’s Army: The Raising of the New Armies 1914-1916.
Manchester.UK: Manchester University Press, p.49
3.
ibid.
4.
Taylor, James. (2013) Your Country Needs You: The secret history of the
propaganda poster. Glasgow, Scotland: Saraband. p.24
5.
Cooper, John. Woodrow Wilson. New York, USA: Knopf Doubleday
Publishing Group. p.391
Hollitz, John. (2010) Contending Voices. Volume III: Since 1865. New York, USA:
Cengage Learning. p.91
Axelrod, Alex. (2009) Selling the Great War: The making of American propaganda.
New York. USA: Macmillan. p.136
ibid.
Fischer, David. (2004) Liberty and Freedom. New York, USA: Oxford University
Press. p.451
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Markham, Jerry. (2002) A Financial History of the United States: From
Christopher Columbus to the Robber Barons (1492-1900) New York, USA: M.E.
Sharpe. p.78
11. ibid. p.76
12. Hull, Isabel. (2013) Absolute Destruction: Military culture and the practices of war
in Imperial Germany. New York, USA: Cornell Univ. Press. p.135
13. Hughes, Geoffrey. (2009) Political Correctness: A history of semantics and culture.
Hoboken, USA: Wiley, p.170-71
14. 17. Schmidt, Donald E. (2005) The Folly of War: American foreign policy, 18982005. New York, USA: Algora Publishing, p.70
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15. Pennell, Catriona. (2012) A Kingdom United: Popular Responses to the Outbreak of
the First World War. Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ. Press. p.31
16. Horn, Martin. (2003) Britain, France, and Financing the First World War. Montreal,
Canada: McGill-Queen’s University Press. p.82
17. Markham, Jerry. (2002) A Financial History of the United States: From
Christopher Columbus to the Robber Barons (1492-1900). New York, USA: M.E.
Sharpe.
18. Storey, N. R. and Housego, Molly. (2010) Women in the First World War. Essex, UK:
Osprey Publishing. p.31
19. Sondhaus, Lawrence. (2011) World War One: The global revolution. New York, USA:
Oxford University Press. p.191
20. Eighmey, Rae Katherine. (2011) Food Will Win the War: Minnesota crops, cooks
and conservation during World War I. Minnesota, USA: Minnesota Historical
Society. p.156
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Available from Tirine Publishing
This e-book supports the following poster packs.
HIS22S: World War I Propaganda Posters:
Recruitment
HIS27S World War I Propaganda Posters:
Women at War
Each poster has been reproduced at a standard size of 42 x 28 cms.
Details of all posters are included in this e-book.
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