The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History has completed a four-year project to conserve 50 World War I propaganda posters donated to the museum by Dr. Florence Bush in 1999 and will celebrate with a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. 

The poster above was part of an online exhibit of WWI posters of the Cincinnati Museum Center; you can find other examples of WWI propaganda artwork on this Time Magazine site as well. 

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Here’s what the Cincinnati Museum writes about WWI posters, which notes the new image of women as workers in some of the posters: 

World War I (1914-1918) featured the use of posters as a means of communication on a mass scale never seen before. The medium was employed extensively by both sides, the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, for many of the same purposes during the war.

The war posters often used stark or dramatic imagery that gave them a powerful visual and psychological impact, important in conveying a message. Posters were used to encourage enlistment and to promote support for the war effort. Often referred to as propaganda posters, the medium was also used to manipulate public opinion. Posters were effective in promoting a cause or in damaging an opposing cause. They helped galvanize public opinion, enhance morale, warn of the evils and dangers of an enemy, encourage shared sacrifice, and promote the productivity of labor in support of the war effort.

Posters often portrayed the enemy as brutal, sadistic and inhumane, while emphasizing the strength, morality and heroism of one’s own side. The changing role of women is also reflected in the World War I posters. Although traditional roles are still depicted, women also appear in uniform and performing war production work.

During the war, approximately 3,000 different poster designs were created and mass produced in the United States alone. The U.S. Office of Public Information had a Division of Pictorial Publicity, organized and headed by Charles Dana Gibson, best known for his earlier “Gibson Girl” illustrations. Gibson brought together a group of talented artists and illustrators to design posters for various federal and private agencies. Like Gibson, these artists wanted to lend their talents and experience to help win the war. The U.S. Navy also had a similar group working on poster designs.

 
The museum’s posters were originally owned by Thomas Clapham of Little Rock, who collected them from 1917 to 1919, when he was a teenager. (Clapham was himself an artist and engineer; Brush was his daughter. Helen T. Leigh provided half the funding needed for the conservation in 2012 in memory of her husband, Air Force Lt. Col. Gilbert Leigh. Later funds came from a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and other sources. Total restoration cost was $18,500.

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Next Thursday’s event will include a preview of the most recently conserved posters and will recognize all who contributed to the project. The event is free and open to the public.

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