Patriotic Posters During the War
Posters had already become a widespread form of popular culture since the 1890s, but poster illustration came into its own throughout Europe and the United States during the First World War. Major American illustrators such as Howard Chandler Christy, Joseph Pennell, and James Montgomery Flagg, threw their work behind the cause of the Allies.
More than 2500 posters were designed and over 20 million posters printed during the war years.
At the U.S.'s entry into the war, Americans were concerned over food scarcity. Food riots occurred in several cities during the winter of 1917. In a speech to the nation in April, President Woodrow Wilson emphasized agriculture's importance. "Upon the farmers of this country, therefore, in large measure rests the fate of the war and the fate of nations," he acknowledged. "The time is short. It is of the most imperative importance that everything possible be done, and done immediately, to make sure of large harvest."
Unfortunately America's first draft soon meant that the farm labor the President deemed so crucial would now be sent overseas.
