| u0003_0004200_0000093 |
| Title | Columbia Calls |
| Creator | Vincent Aderente |
| Date | 1916 |
| Format | 30 x 40 in |
| Description | This 1916 poster was designed by Frances Adams Halsted, who also wrote the accompanying poem “Columbia Calls” printed in the bottom right. Italian American artist Vincent Aderente provided the art work based on Halsted’s visions. Halsted, who believed in war preparedness, commissioned the poster before the United States entered the war, and the U.S. government later used it for its Army enlistment drive. The 30 x 40 inch poster was large enough that the viewer would have been able to read the poem, but more important than the poem was the striking visual image. Using a motif common among poster artists in other World War I combatant nations, Halsted and Aderente offered an idealized woman’s body to represent the nation state. Although “Columbia” is recognizably female, she takes on the masculine attributes of a warrior, most notably by wielding a sword that points directly to the central message, “Enlist Now for the U.S. Army.” Her left arm is dramatically extended upward and carries a massive and richly rendered American flag. To further underline the message of military strength, Columbia stands on a U.S. map that is positioned in the middle of the globe. Her face, like her body, seems focused on the world beyond.
By Dr. Lynn Dumenil, author of The Second Line of Defense: American Women and World War I. |
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