James Montgomery Flagg, pictured at left, was one of the best known artists called upon to help the war effort in 1916. He painted the famous Uncle Sam that was used in both world wars saying, "I want you for the U.S. Army." At right is the cover of the July 6, 1916 issue of Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper where the message is "What are YOU doing for preparedness?"

Preparedness for war was the issue of the day. Eleven other countries in 1915 had larger, more experienced armies than the U.S. However, Americans were divided over the need to build a strong military and intervene in Europe

As it became more and more inevitable the U.S. would have to join the war, the government would need to use its best powers of persuasion to get the American people behind the war effort.

At the same time, full-color lithographic printing had seen great improvements, and a number of companies were able to print colorful posters.

A Call to Action

When a German U-boat sank the Lusitania in May of 1915, with the loss of nearly 1200 lives including 115 Americans, public opinion started to change. News of German atrocities in Belgium and the sinking of American merchant ships added to the cause for entering the war.

To gear up for war, the U.S. needed to raise funds for building ships and strengthening our military.

Howard Chandler Christy
was one of the popular artists of the day called upon to promote war bonds. Christy had a particular style that made his posters some of the most famous from that era.

While war was raging in Europe, the women of America were fighting their own war of independence with the Suffrage movement to get the right to vote. The words on the posters say enlist or buy bonds, but Christy's artwork seems to be portraying a new defiant spirit of women. Christy's ladies were not only defiant; they were adorable…. and sexy.

The Artist Expresses a Strong Feeling

The message for the United States Fuel Administration in 1918 was "Mine More Coal." (Coal was the fuel that powered naval ships.) But the message in Walter Whitehead's artwork is something stronger than that. It is more like, "I've got your back, brother." These two guys look like they stand alone fighting off an army of Zombies.