Dublin Core
Title
Every Girl Pulling For Victory
Subject
Labor
Description
An American work campaign poster evoking a sense of duty and patriotism in American women to their country and men fighting overseas, this piece of propaganda was distributed by the United War Work Campaign during the Fist World War. It portrays a strong-jawed, muscular, broad shouldered woman in sailor garb with the title, "Every Girl Pulling for Victory" and caption, "Victory Girls United War Work Campaign". The poster appeals to the sense of duty women felt during the war and their want to contribute to war efforts. In portraying the woman as a strong, masculine figure, it illustrates women as independent persons capable of handing the weight of maintaining the country while the men were at war. This kind of acknowledgement of strength was necessary in making women feel like participatory citizens at a time when voluntary labor and monetary participation was crucial.
It is interesting to note the similarity between the figure in the poster and classical Greek and Roman goddesses. This illustration of strength and allegory to mythical power and beauty is a method recognized by Pearl James as a way to empower and encourage female viewers without allowing them to entirely identify with the figure in the poster. It is in the drawing of this line that women are encouraged to support the war by maintaining the home front and working rather than joining men in combat as the figure in the poster seems to be doing.
The United War Work Campaign was a group of seven large organizations, the YMCA, the YWCA, the American Library Association, the War Camp Community Service, the Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Welfare Board, and the Salvation Army charged with raising over $170 million in funds for the War in 1918. These kinds of propaganda posters were used to encourage citizens to donate money to the fund or participate in charitable labor for the war effort.
It is interesting to note the similarity between the figure in the poster and classical Greek and Roman goddesses. This illustration of strength and allegory to mythical power and beauty is a method recognized by Pearl James as a way to empower and encourage female viewers without allowing them to entirely identify with the figure in the poster. It is in the drawing of this line that women are encouraged to support the war by maintaining the home front and working rather than joining men in combat as the figure in the poster seems to be doing.
The United War Work Campaign was a group of seven large organizations, the YMCA, the YWCA, the American Library Association, the War Camp Community Service, the Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Welfare Board, and the Salvation Army charged with raising over $170 million in funds for the War in 1918. These kinds of propaganda posters were used to encourage citizens to donate money to the fund or participate in charitable labor for the war effort.
Creator
E.P.
Source
McFarlin Library, Department of Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tulsa. 2933 E. 6th St. Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-3123
Publisher
[American] United War Work Campaign.
Date
Between 1910-1920
Language
English
Type
Still Image
Identifier
Collection number: 1992.004.5.24
Coverage
<kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0"><Folder><name>OpenLayers export</name><description>Exported on Tue Feb 5 11:44:35 CST 2013</description></Folder></kml>||||osm
United States of America
United States of America
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Poster
Physical Dimensions
71 x 56.4 cm