Summer 2014 marks the centennial of the beginning World War I, known at the time as The Great War, the events of which began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914 and escalated through the first declaration of war on Serbia by Austria-Hungary a month later on July 28. Having courted allies in the days leading up to the declaration, other nations soon followed Austria-Hungary and Serbia into war: Germany, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Luxembourg, France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom were all involved by August 4.
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| A fascinating predecessor to the modern and pervasive infographic, this Public Warning from 1915 was issued to help the British public "familiarise themselves with the appearance of British and German Airships and Aeroplanes, so that they may not be alarmed by British aircraft, and may take shelter if German aircraft appear." The first Zeppelin raid on Great Britian took place in January of 1915. |
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| Savile Lumley, Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?, London, 1915. |
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| A.G.R., Canadiens Francais / Venez Avec Nous Dans le 150IÈME Bataillon C.M.R. A poster produced in Montreal in 1915, geared toward French-Canadian recruitment. |
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| A French wartime poster promoting an art fundraiser to help Belgium. |
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| Australian recruitment: Harry J. Weston, "Were You There Then?,"circa 1916. |
American Recruitment and Invigoration
The United States declared neutrality in early August of that 1914, and would not declare war on Germany until April of 1917. America remained removed, both psychologically and physically, from the widening horror of the war in Europe through 1917. Before the United States officially entered the war, private groups of concerned citizens and businessmen took it upon themselves to begin preparing America for the upcoming conflict. The foundation of the Mayor's Committee on National Defense in 1915 helped motivate the establishment of similar organizations across the country. Their work was a combination of raising awareness and retooling American industry to handle the needs of war.
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| Michael P. Whelan, Men Wanted for the Army, circa 1910. |
The scale of the First World War and the development of new technologies meant that the very nature and representation of war and military service changed as well. Recruitment posters changed from depicting a bucolic pastime, as pictured in Michael P. Whelan's Men Wanted for the Army to patriotic messages geared largely toward an individual's pride.
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| Perhaps the most recognizable war poster of all time: James Montgomery Flagg's I Want You for U.S. Army, 1917. |
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| Howard Chandler Christy, If You Want to Fight! Join the Marines, 1915. |
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| James Montgomery Flagg created a large number of posters during this period. After the States declared war, there was an effort to motivate Americans to pitch in for the war effort. This 1917 poster shows a potent allegory of a country unaware of danger. Columbia is rendered peacefully sleeping on her front porch while behind her, the flames and smoke of war can be seen in the distance. Swann Galleries' August 6 auction of Vintage Posters includes a large selection of WWI images, including those shown here. View the full catalogue. |