By Jessica
Jenkins
Join The Brave Throng
With the outbreak of World War I came the need for a national
campaign urging America’s support of war efforts in Europe. In
the years before the United States entered the conflict, citizens
were encouraged to do what they could for overseas victims
through donations to relief organizations such as the American
Red Cross and Salvation Army.
President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of war on Germany
in 1917 brought with it not only the entrance of American troops
into the war but also an increased canvassing campaign aimed at
America’s hearts and purse strings. Faced with the wartime need
to recruit, raise money, conserve food, and build morale, the federal government and various agencies distributed around the
nation millions of posters featuring eye-catching illustrations to
inform and influence the viewer. Emphasizing visual imagery and
using catchy slogans, these beautiful and shocking works of art
had immeasurable impact on the public’s emotions and were
designed to make the reader stop, look, and act. Hearing this call
to action, the community of Litchfield, Connecticut answered
back with a patriotic zeal as bold as the posters dotting their town.
The local Red Cross chapter elicited the first war support from
the community in August 1914 by appealing for funds for sick
and wounded European soldiers. Organized in 1898, the
Litchfield Red Cross Chapter had the distinction of being the
oldest Red Cross organization in Connecticut. Throughout the
war the organization worked tirelessly to gather bandages,
blankets, clothing, and other supplies to send to the war front. At
the same time, the conservation and distribution of food became
a matter of huge importance on the home front. With encouragement from organizations such as the Litchfield Garden Club
and the local Food Supply Committee, home vegetable gardens
flourished and food canning became a top priority.
Posters also urged Americans to support the war effort
monetarily. Reacting to the government’s need to raise funds,
communities such as Litchfield held rallies in support of the five
federal loan campaigns, during which town residents raised large
sums. In 1917, when Litchfield was given a quota of $146,000 to
raise for the second campaign, the town showed its patriotic colors
and topped expectations by subscribing more than $305,000.
Some of the most extensive poster campaigns encouraged
men to join military forces. Unlike Litchfield’s soldiers of the Civil
War, most of whom served together in the same regiment, the
community’s men serving in World War I were scattered throughout many different branches of the military. While some fought
fearlessly in the trenches with the army, others saw heavy
“Join now!,”
American Red Cross, 1914-1918,
artist unknown.
In the World War I era, posters
were used on a scale never
before seen. In a time before
commercial radio and television, these vivid works of art
played an important role in
communicating with, and
influencing, a mass audience.
“Second Red Cross War Fund,” Miss Olmstead, Litchfield Chapter
American Red Cross, 1917. Using a combination of mass-produced posters
and handmade ones (such as the one pictured here, created by a “Miss
Olmstead”), the citizens of Litchfield were kept abreast of the local Red
Cross chapter’s activities.
fighting with the marines. A handful acted as medical officers, and
others spent their war time in aviation work.
Likewise, Litchfield women offered their services during the
war as nurses, stenographers, and canteen workers. Many
worked in camps on American soil, but some performed their
duties overseas.
Never taking these sacrifices lightly, on July 4, 1919, the town
of Litchfield welcomed its soldiers home with a rousing townwide celebration featuring a parade, bonfire, and luncheon for the
communitiy’s soldiers. The event concluded with the unveiling of
a granite-and-bronze monument inscribed with 168 names and
dedicated to the men of Litchfield who selflessly served their
country in the name of liberty during the First World War. 2
Jessica Jenkins is curator of collections at Litchfield Historical Society.
All posters are from the Litchfield Historical Society.
(c) 2014 CONNECTICUT EXPLORED. Vol.13 No.1, Winter, 2014/15. www.ctexplored.org
Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted without permission of the publisher.
“Remember! The Flag of Liberty,” artist unknown, Third Liberty Loan campaign, 1918.
Posters also relied heavily on patriotic symbols such as the bald eagle, the Statue of
Liberty, and the American flag. This poster’s message was that everyone was at some
point a new arrival in the United States, and America was a country founded on the
ideals of liberty. It also speaks to immigrants and urges them to remember why they
came to this country, that they are now Americans, and that they should support their
new country and the goals of the Allied nations through buying government bonds.
“Knowledge Wins,”
Dan Smith, American
Library Association,
1914-1918.
Throughout the war,
United States citizens
were asked to support
Allied forces in Europe
through the direct
donation of goods.
In addition to everyday
necessities such as
clothing and blankets,
organizations such as
the American Library
Association requested
books and reading
materials for soldiers.
Litchfield residents
collected books,
popular magazines,
and newspapers for
shipment overseas.
“Remember Belgium,” Ellsworth Young,
Fourth Liberty Loan campaign, 1918.
Propaganda posters portrayed German soldiers as hideous
monsters. This compelling image refers to the German invasion
and occupation of Belgium (a neutral country), the first land
battle of the war (August 1914). Belgium, depicted as a young
girl, suffered not only destruction of buildings, libraries, and
monuments but also violence and war crimes against its civilians.
Depictions such as this played on the public’s feelings and created
fear, hatred, and guilt among those at home, helping to ensure
that all contributed their fair share to the war effort.
(c) 2014 CONNECTICUT EXPLORED. Vol.13 No.1, Winter, 2014/15. www.ctexplored.org
Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted without permission of the publisher.
right: “War Rally,” Connecticut State Council of Defense, 1917.
After America’s military entrance into the war in 1917, appeals
went out to men to join the armed forces. Because the United
States was slow to enter the war, response was initially tepid.
Rallies such as the one on December 14, 1917 in Litchfield
supported recruitment efforts.
“Weapons for Liberty,”
Joseph C. Leyendecker,
Third Liberty Loan
campaign, 1918.
The United States Treasury
Department funded twothirds of the war through
the sale of government
bonds and savings stamps.
German-born Joseph
Leyendecker was a
prominent illustrator and
commercial artist in the
early 20th century whose
work included hundreds of
covers for The Saturday
Evening Post. He was a
major influence on and
friend of Norman Rockwell,
according to the National
Museum of American
Illustration
(americanillustration.org/
artists/leyendecker_jc/
leyendecker.html).
above:“Order Coal Now,” Joseph C. Leyendecker,
United States Fuel Administration, 1917.
As severe shortages of food, coal, oil, and basic goods
developed along the war front, posters emphasized the need
to ration food and conserve resources at home. Using these
supplies sparingly became the mantra of the United States
food and fuel administrations and the National War Garden
Commission.
right:“The Kaiser Is Canned,” J. Paul Verrees,
National War Garden Commission, 1918.
During World War I the Litchfield Garden Club frequently gave
food-preparation demonstrations, published conservation-minded recipes in the local newspaper, and held sales of fruits and
vegetables that might otherwise have been wasted. Featuring
everything from comic images of the German kaiser in a
canning jar to slogans such as “Food is Ammunition – Don’t
Waste It,” these posters reminded citizens that their efforts on
the home front also contributed to winning the war.
(c) 2014 CONNECTICUT EXPLORED. Vol.13 No.1, Winter, 2014/15. www.ctexplored.org
Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted without permission of the publisher.