Description
This Scottish poster was created for the Feed the Guns war bond campaign of October 1918. Public events advertising the new bond were held across England, Wales, and Scotland. These spectacles featured Disney-like reproductions of burned-out French villages complete with shell-riddled buildings, trenches, and howitzers, which citizens could feed with their newly purchased bonds. Although there were complaints about these sensational advertising methods, it was estimated that Britain was spending nearly seven million pounds a day on the war, and voluntary subscriptions to bonds were critical to Britains financial survival. With a limited but brightly colored palette and simple, silhouetted forms, this poster effectively links money to the war effort as bond-covered shells are fed into a howitzer. Like many World War I posters, this image celebrates modern military technology by emphasizing the power and size of the howitzer. As an economic measure, posters were often re-used with new messages pasted over older slogans. Following the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, the printer of this poster issued a slip with the new victory slogan, And Buy Yourself a Share in Victory, to be pasted over the old title.
Details
- Work Date:
- 1918
- Dimensions:
- 29¾ x 19⅝ inches
- Medium:
- color lithograph
- Credit Line:
- Gift of Bartlett H. Hayes, 1985