| u0003_0004200_0000020 |
| Title | War Rages in France |
| Creator | Harry Everett Townsend |
| Date | 1917 |
| Format | 20 x 30 in |
| Description | Most propaganda artists drew inspiration from mediated accounts of war, but Harry Everett Townsend, an Executive Board member of the Committee of Public Information, was one of the few artists with first-hand knowledge of the tragedies of war as a commissioned war artist. Townsend’s service in France informs his intimate vision of war without glory, a stark comparison to the romanticization of war found in most propaganda posters. This image depicts a collection of beleaguered French citizens of varying ages, some with heads bowed, and others who plead with the audience for help through expressions of discomfort and sorrow. Beneath the image is a clustering of text that guilts the audience into action by stating that “Denying ourselves only a little means life to them.” While much of the text is grey, and thus difficult to perceive from a distance, and the center in bold, black lettering is the poster’s central plea, “WE MUST FEED THEM.” Townsend’s selection of artistic medium, dramatic contrast between light and dark, and expression of sorrow via the human face, are noticeably similar to Wallace Morgan, another American artist in this collection commissioned to serve in the military. |
| 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. |