| u0003_0004200_0000072 |
| Title | Buy Liberty Bonds |
| Creator | American Lithographic Company |
| Date | 1918 |
| Format | 20 x 30 in |
| Description | Propaganda posters more often than not rely on allegorical figures to capture the imagination of the audience, but in the case of this poster published by the American Lithographic Company we see an actual President who has reached legendary status. The poster consists of a profile bust of Abraham Lincoln in shades of brown to resemble bronze, a material that helps impart credibility and importance. Above the President’s head is the directive “BUY LIBERTY BONDS,” and below is the well-known quotation from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, “THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH.” Although the context of the quotation is significantly different from the political situation during WWI, the poster appropriates the image and language of Lincoln in order to frame the conflict as righteous and suggest that purchasing Liberty Bonds is necessary for American survival. |
| Copyright and Terms | Images are in the public domain or protected under U.S. copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code), and both types may be used for research and private study. For publication, commercial use, or reproduction, in print or digital format, of all images and/or the accompanying data, users are required to secure prior written permission from the copyright holder and from archives@ua.edu. When permission is granted, please credit the images as Courtesy of The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections. |