World War I

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This poster's purpose is to appeal to the American populace for funds for the Red Cross. It is an annual campaign called "The Roll Call" which was usually held every year around Christmastime.  The poster reflects two women, one dressed as a nurse and the other one in a classically draped garment.  Obviously, the Red Cross nurse is pointing at the viewer to give money and join in the membership while  the other woman is also a model to persuade. Bt who is she? She is the  personification of the United States of America, then known as "Columbia". Columbia was a well known symbol for the goddess America prior to and during WWI. She is wearing the white draped garment and blue sash and has a "liberty" cap on her head.  Columbia was displaced as the female symbol of the U.S. by the Statue of Liberty in the 1920s.

The Roll Calls were annual appeals to generate funds for the  Red Cross during WWI.  It cost $1 dues.  Columbia is seen joining and signing her name to the "Roll" as an example to all others to do the same as citizens of the U.S.A. Bold colors of red, white and blue help to make this a traditional patriotic poster.

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There are several layers to the interpretation of this poster. First, it invokes nationalism by suggesting that it is a man's "bit" to fight for his country and that losing his life is justified if he does it in war. It also states that this is "the greatest- worst of all wars", reminding the audience that there are thousands of men dying, which is also reflected in the image of the wounded soldier holding a gun. The thought of losing fellow countrymen to the Germans is here used to persuade unenlisted men to help out. In addition, this invokes the image of what a man should be: courageous, unafraid, sacrificial and heroic. A man who views this poster is supposed to feel lesser than because he is not out there fighting while other men are, implying that he is not as strong, manly or brave as the current soldiers.

The propagandistic aspect of this poster is the part that I find most interesting. The Very Short Introduction mentioned the use of propaganda against the Germans to paint them as evil monsters, which is touched upon in the James reading, but it is interesting from an Allied perspective because today we usually associate propaganda with the Axis Powers of WWII, especially glorifying Hitler. The soldier in this poster is dreaming about killing Germans, saying that having "one German helmet in [his] kit" will make his death totally justified. This heroic image of a soldier is coupled with a heartless depiction of the foe even though the soldier on the poster is given no specific marking to signify that he is American, English, or a soldier from an allied country. This is probably done so that it could be circulated in different allied regions, as the James reading said would often happen (ie the poster with the image of the French woman plowing). This gives the poster a sense that it could have been anywhere and is therefore less personalized and more generic so that the propaganda could be heavily circulated and continue to keep the stereotypes about Germans alive.

Shall Uncle Sam's Navy Suffer Our Soldiers Going "Over There" on Our Transports to Sink? for Lack of Firemen. 7,000 Needed Now!

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Nationalism can be seen throughout the majority of the war posters. The way in which many of their headlines are worded creates the feeling that “buying a bond” is the citizens’ duty and such an act should come natural; it is all rather manipulative... but that’s advertising. There is also a lot of emphasis on immediate action and demands by using words such as “now”, “today”, “SAVE”, and “come on!” This rush on time was seen throughout the accounts in A Testament of Youth.

In the poster that I chose there is a bit of color play. You could read it two ways really.

1. Shall Uncle Sam's Navy Suffer Our Soldiers Going "Over There" on Our Transports to Sink? for Lack of Firemen. 7,000 Needed Now!
2. Shall Our Transports Sink? (red print only)

The purpose of this poster was to lure men into enlisting in the navy. After analyzing the word/color play, it seems as if the navy belongs to Uncle Sam and the transports belong to us [our transports], I’m assuming the US citizens. I find this interesting and feel it needs further contextual investigation.

Ashley Brown

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This poster of Joan of Arc aptly demonstrates Pearl James' argument that "War poster reflect the period's confusion of traditions and modernity. In war posters new national identities coalesce around nostalgic visions from the past." (2) The maid of Orleans is legendary as much for her martyrdom as for her martial prowess, and invoking her image folds these two ideals into one, suggesting an understanding of total war which must include both physical courage and spiritual sacrifice. Traditionally, Joan's death has been understood to be founded on her faith in both her own salvation and retribution against her English persecutors. The mythic element of the story, the symbolic association between Joan's death and French military success, is vividly dramatized (and exaggerated) in Dreyer's famous film The Passion of Joan of Arc. Though the film post-dates the poster, it demonstrates the power that Joan held as a symbol not only of martial heroism but of belief in national virtue, the conviction that one's country is fighting for what is right and must therefore succeed.

On the surface, she seems a natural propagandistic emblem for a WWI poster, but there are complicating elements. Although she is decked out with sword and armor, Joan's femininity makes her a dubious stand-in for the reality of national military efficacy, given that women did not participate in combat. The actual message on the poster "Joan of Arc Saved France. Save Your Country. Buy War Savings Stamps" again must draw our focus away from armed conflict and toward the war front. But Joan, by her nature as a saint and martyr, is problematic as an everyman figure. Linking her military victories and death to war savings stamps drags mythic heroism down into the realm of the mundane. On the home front, it reflects Roland's discoveries on the battlefield in Testament of Youth: that war is not heroic after all but ugly and banal. In Roland's opinion, this is a function of modernity; there were heroic deeds, there were mythic figures like Joan of Arc, but he believes they no longer exist in his age. On the field, war is fought by nameless corpses rather than legendary heroes. Elsewhere, war is fought with stamp-buying rather than martyrdom and divine justice. In the midst of a war defined by future shock and the participation of an endire society, the summoning up of a mythologized individual from the past brings with it inevitable tensions.

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The first thing that comes to mind when you see this poster is a strong sense of nationalism. The American flag being draped over a soldier going into battle is meant to bring a sense of pride to the viewer. This was a main focus for many of these WWI posters. They were meant to grab your attention and make you sense a great deal of pride and encourage you to give money and support the war effort in any way you could. And if the image does not do enough for you, then the title of the poster and the words written will really make you want to pitch in your effort. "Over the top for you" that is suggesting that these men across the sea are going over the top to protect you and the nation, which the traditonalist view of a man at the point in history. Men were meant to be the protectors of their families and their communities. Because of this idea and notion many men enlisted into the armied forces to do exactly that. They literally laid down everything to protect those back in the states who were reading this poster. So by the poster saying "over the top for you" makes the viewer want to support those men across the sea defending them.

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In the poster above one can very clearly see the harbor of New York City, the sky is engulfed in flame, the buildings are on fire and enemy planes circle the harbor. It is a scene of total chaos and collapse. Except for one thing. In the foreground, standing resolute and proud one can see the outline of the Statue of Liberty, backed by the fiery sky. At the bottom, the poster reads "that liberty shall not perish from the earth, buy liberty bonds". Those words are a modified version of a line from Abraham Lincoln's powerful Gettysburg Address. The original line reads “. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". The line was rewritten so that instead of government perishing, it is liberty who falls. This line could be interpreted to indicate either the Statue of Liberty falling, liberty itself, or perhaps both and the message would have undoubtedly resonated with the American public at the time.

Even as a modern viewer of this scene, I am moved. This image, against my best intentions, stirs up a kind of patriotic fury inside me. I see the harbor burning and I grow indignant at the invading forces. How dare they come to our city! It took a second for me to realize that those feelings I was experiencing were exactly what the creators of that poster wanted me to feel. I'd been had essentially. That is when it hit me that the war posters were not really just about funding the war or finding recruits, instead they were an extremely powerful tool that could fuel the home front and maintain public support of the war. These posters were literally everywhere and were viewed by thousands and thousands of people. Their reach extended far beyond what modern advertisement does today because while ads for food or movies only appear in certain spheres of life, the war posters were seen not only in stores and public places, but in schools, churches, office buildings and vast numbers of other venues where the average ad does not reach. These war posters completely redefined the idea of public space and not necessarily for the better.

Because this poster was intended for an American audience, I am not certain how the Brittain readings correlate to the image. I do think that the idealism in the poster, the picture of destruction in the most famous city in our nation and the inclusion of a famous patriotic quote, would have stirred Vera and Roland to action, were they American. I think that the nationalism and idealism that spurred many young people to join the war efforts in her time are definitely evident in this poster and any number of young women like Vera could have been inspired to contribute to the war efforts because of this image.

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This poster caught my attention because, while at first glance it appears almost like a religious motivational wall hanging (simple painted graphic, elegant text), the sentiment is actually quite warlike and vengeful.  Unlike in many of the other posters, it isn't about saving Belgian children or stopping starvation or upholding freedom--it's about getting a single headshot at a single soldier on the wrong side of the trenches.  It really brings home the perspective change from before to after the war.  The idea of honour and glory in war that was so widely subscribed to in those days played a major role in the sorts of propaganda that was produced, such that some such posters are actually jarring to read today.

What is really somewhat disturbing about this poster is the fact that it doesn't really matter what the cause is, who the enemy soldier is, or even how many the American soldier cuts down--only that he gets to kill at least one German.  His potential regret is not a failure to save someone, the loss of lives on his side or the others', or his level of courage.  Only the failure to kill.  Such ideas seem so deeply ingrained that I can't help but wonder if we ever would have come to our current understanding of war without having experienced it in such a painful way.

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The poster obviously plays off of the war in a method of guilting its viewers into buying government bonds.  Its caption: "Remember! / The Flag of Liberty / Support It! / Buy U.S. Government Bonds" implies with its sense of false urgency that NOT rushing out at once to buy bonds is an act of direct defiance towards the government, all one's American ancestors (Remember), and the current soldiers dying in the war.  The depiction of the American citizen on the poster is interesting; the poster plays to traditional masculinity in placing the broad-shouldered, traditionally strong-figured male front and center in the image.  However, the characters behind him appear to represent the "weaker" members of society: women, children, and perhaps the elderly.  Also, these background characters are dressed in a different garb than the male, potentially to strike a resemblance to the immigrant clothing of ancestors in a play for further sympathy/guilt. The American flag behind them emphasizes their patriotism through having supported the war efforts, again implying treason through neglect of this duty.  There also appears to be a faint outline of a large ship on the left side, drawing a connection with the positive notion of progress and development. 

Other than loose connections of the gender/cutural environments of the war, I find it difficult to specifically connect this poster back to Brittain's work.  However, I will say that a particular passage from the reading this week reminded me of our in-class discussion.  We briefly wondered in class why Brittain's writing had only surfaced on the verge of tensions which began WWII, and perhaps the answer to this question lies in James' finding that "In wartime, images overwhelm words" (24). During the war or even immediately afterwards, I think Brittain's words would have fallen on deaf ears.  People were so fed up with the war and the images streaming from it that they had no desire to delve into a long non-fiction work about what it felt like to be involved.  They wanted to escape, as (probably) did Vera Brittain herself. 

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The poster I chose depicts crosses on hilltops representing the loss of life from the war. After the image has grabbed the viewer’s attention, the text persuades him or her to donate money because so many have given so much more. Over this image is the statement “They give their lives” and under that, it asks the reader “Do you lend your savings?” The image, while stark, falls very short of the real atrocities of war, but the pathos involved still grabs the viewer’s attention without making him or her walk off in fear. The poster also questions a person’s patriotism. Failing to be considered patriotic is a serious dishonor even in a time of peace, but especially in a time of war. The poster follows what is normally thought of as one of the first two sacrifices a government asks for in wartime, men and money. The poster very brilliantly, though, asks for one of the two necessities in context of another.

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This poster would have appealed to a wide audience here at home during the war. According to Pearl James, posters such as this one were meant to appeal to the audience very quickly. "Posters are designed to appeal quickly to a passing view and depend upon a certain instantaneous recognition" (James, 20). This poster seems to me a great example of this. It is relatively simple, but it's meaning is immediately obvious. The image is rather frightening, especially of the "hun." It then suggests, with the shortest of text, that by purchasing liberty bonds, you are choosing home over the enemy (and conversely, by not purchasing them you would be choosing the enemy). It also did what James referred to as "blurring the lines between fact and fiction" (James, 32). It is not exactly a realistic image, and it seems unlikely that a person would really be choosing the huns simply because they didn't purchase a liberty bond. But this poster would have successfully played on the emotions of the time and I imagine it would have been quite powerful.

Thinking about this poster alongside Brittain's A Testament of Youth was interesting. In what we read, there was a certain separation from "the enemy." As we discussed in class, there did not seem to be any particular animosity towards the other individual fighters. This poster does not really fit with that idea though. In this case, the other soldier is made to be like a demon or monster. It does support the idea of a loss of individuality though, as we saw in Brittain's memoir. The demonization of the soldier shows this, as well as the fact that the "enemy" is clumped together as the "hun," as if there are no individuals. I found this to be quite interesting.