| u0003_0004200_0000001 |
| Title | Help Him Win by Saving and Serving |
| Creator | American Lithographic Company |
| Date | 1918 |
| Format | 20 x 30 in |
| Description | This poster published in 1918 by the United States Department of the Treasury appeals to children through patriotic colors and popular figures to purchase War Savings Stamps to support the war. War Savings Stamps were a relatively cheap option for donating to the war, costing as little as ten cents. The poster attempts to raise money and instill patriotic values in children in large part by establishing a familial bond with the poster’s featured figure—Army General John J. Pershing. While contemporary audiences might miss the reference, Pershing was a well-known figure during this time period, and his celebrity is used in this image as a strategy to gain attention. Pershing gently holds the hands of the two children as he looks down on them almost as if to stand in for their missing father fighting overseas. The call to “help him win” implies that assisting General Pershing directly supports the men under his command. The boy in the poster, clearly the older of the two children as he is the tallest, glances upward admiringly at the General. Not only does this poster entice children and their families to purchase war savings stamps, but it simultaneously encourages boys and young men to dream of the day they can enlist as well. |
| 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. |