Description
World War I saw the invention of many new military technologies from poisonous gases to combat airplanes. The Allies focused much of their mechanical expertise on developing a tank, an armed vehicle that was capable of traversing the muddy, bomb-cratered terrain of No Mans Land. The tank was first produced in Britain, but France quickly created its own version of the land battleship. Both countries invested money and labor in developing ever more sophisticated tanks. Unlike Britain, where a single government agency oversaw tank production, Frances munitions and automobile industries played a prominent role in the research and development of tanks. The Renault Automobile Company, for example, invented a number of tanks; the Renault FT tank was used extensively in the last days of the war and became the model upon which many future tanks were based. The French eventually took the lead in tank manufacturing, producing more tanks than all the combatants combined. With its lower vantage point, this poster accentuates the sheer size and brutality of a tank as it barrels through the ubiquitous barbed wire of the Western Front. The Hungarian artist Simay was in France when he produced this poster for the Liberation war loan which was Frances most successful fund-raising campaign, with nearly seven million people subscribing to the loan.
Details
- Work Date:
- 1918
- Dimensions:
- 44⅛ x 32 inches
- Credit Line:
- Gift of Bartlett H. Hayes, 1985