WWI Posters: Second Set

Did the poster sets you reviewed accomplish the goal of the American government during this time frame or was more effort needed?

I would say that the posters definitely conveyed the message they were trying to as they used symbols and text that made everything quite clear. However, I do not know how successful they were in actually getting people to participate willingly, as women had to pick up the slack of men in various industries when they were off at war.

1. All the posters feature bleak backgrounds with darkness as well as looming figures to make the posters seem ominous, and drive home the message of an impending threat. The threat in the first image being the conflict on the horizon shown by the billowing smoke, the "Mad Brute" with a German helmet was meant to represent the Germans in the second image, and the "Hun" or German with bloodied hands and bayonet. The brute is scary and crazy looking and has a bloodied bat labeled "culture" to instill fear. The Hun soaked in blood is done similarly to instill fear. America is also featured in the first two images, represented by a sleeping lady liberty in the first, and the word "America" written on the soil in the second.   Images


2. The posters have clear directives. The first addresses "Every man, women, and child!" to wake up and do the part, the second calls upon men to "Enlist" to push back the Germans or "Mad Brute," and the final one is directed at people on the homefront says to back the army by purchasing liberty bonds. As I said earlier the posters were meant to instill a sense of fear and urgency in the demographics targeted to convince them to do their part.

3. The ideal target audience for poster one is "Every man woman and child!" You can tell because it says so clearly at the bottom. The second poster is targeted at men because it is calling upon them to enlist in the army, and also features a damsel in distress to further hammer the point home. The final is directed at those on the homefront who cannot participate in the war for some reason, and it is asking them to support through the use of "Liberty Bonds."