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This artificial collection, spanning both World Wars, and several other conflicts as well, illustrates the uses to which print media was put in the war effort.
Along with radio and film, propaganda posters like the ones found in this collection were used by the governments of combatant nations - and charitable organizations such as the Red Cross - to encourage the public to conserve resources, purchase war bonds and stamps, enlist in the armed forces, and donate money, goods, or time to the war effort.
Often designed by leading artists of the time, the language and imagery in each poster combine to create persuasive emotional responses, and suggest the appropriate action or remedy. Morever, the posters in this collection document the changes, both social and economic, that resulted from these conflicts (e.g. the role of women, new technologies, etc.).
The collection comprises more than 550 propagandistic and informational posters created during various conflicts, primarily World War I and World War II. Posters within the collection cover a wide range of war-related themes such as conservation, production, recruitment, and patriotism. Individual posters range in size from small leaflets and magazine covers, to larger banners and posters several square feet in size.
Series I comprises all posters in the collection produced during World War I, between the years 1914 and 1918. Posters in this series were created by the governments of Canada, France, Great Britain, and the United States of America. Many of the aforementioned themes are covered in this series. The United States portion of this series accounts for nearly half of the overall Wartime Posters collection.
Series II is comprised of posters produced during World War II, between the years 1940 and 1945. Posters in this series were created primarily by members of the Allied Powers, although there are a few posters created for German-occupied states. The majority of the posters in this series were created by the United States government.
Series III includes a selection of posters printed during other wars, such as the Korean War, or printed outside of wartime but still reflecting the familiar themes of recruitment or patriotism.
Series IV comprises over 100 magazine covers printed during June and July of 1944. All of the magazine covers encourage readers to purchase war bonds to aid the United States war effort. Many of the magazine covers have an image of a war bond overlaying the artwork, while others have war bonds incorporated into the artwork itself.