Blood or Bread – PERSUASIVE WEAPONS

Title	Blood or Bread
Creator	Henry Raleigh
Date	1917
Format	21 x 29 in
Description	Henry Raleigh’s poster “Blood or Bread” uses dark colors and gaunt figures to persuade viewers to conserve food for the war effort. The poster depicts a shirtless man struggling to prop up a wounded comrade in a bleak terrain. Over their shoulder is a cannon with smoke trailing from its mouth. As the incapacitated soldier slumps lifeless, the other soldier looks desperately toward the sky for help. The dark terrain clouded in smoke is contrasted by a white backdrop and the standing soldier’s helmet as if to resemble a halo. In conjunction with the two pained figures, the text asks the audience for mercy in the form of food conservation to “shorten the war.” The choice presented in bright orange between “BLOOD or BREAD” places responsibility for the soldiers’ suffering on those who are wasteful and overindulgent.
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.