| u0003_0004200_0000025 |
| Title | The Spirit of ’18 |
| Creator | William McKee |
| Date | 1918 |
| Format | 20 x 30 in |
| Description | William E. McKee’s 1918 propaganda poster “The Spirit of ’18” appropriates Archibald MacNeal Willard’s famous oil painting “The Spirit of ‘76” to persuade viewers to support the war effort by gardening at home. One strategy used by the United States Food Administration to secure necessary supplies for the war was to convince citizens to garden in order to feed themselves and donate surplus food. The lithograph depicts a father made to resemble President George Washington harvesting crops with two young men at his side. As the father and one strapping son look boldly to the horizon, the son on the left side of the image looks admiringly up at his father. The image is split into three horizontal levels, the dark of the earth at the bottom of the image which the farmers stand upon, the green of the farm and fields silhouetted behind the farmers, and the bright blue sky framing their upper bodies and faces. The perspective of the viewer is from a slightly lower angle, forcing the viewer to look up at the farmers as though they are raised as heroes in the war. Notice how the text illustrates a loud cry from the world for “Food” by using large white lettering. Although it is not explicitly stated what the “spirit” of 1918 entails, the image and its connection to previous artwork establishes a sense of pride, courage, and patriotic duty. |
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