By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/world-war-propaganda-posters Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter ‘I won’t eat no more ice cream’ and other propaganda posters of WWI World May 25, 2015 11:35 AM EDT During World War I, posters beckoned civilians to join the armed forces and beseeched state-side warriors to conserve wheat and sugar, all in the name of helping the troops. Below is a sample of some of those posters. Use of tanks in World War I was relatively new. The Tanks Corps of the U.S. Armed Forces at first used French and British-made armored vehicles: Celebrating the nation’s 142nd birthday was a bayonet-bearing Uncle Sam: A poster depicts the bloody hand of a “Hun” or German soldier: A more pointed message on the same theme: Liberty bonds helped fund the war effort: A poster encourages support of women in France by conserving wheat: A more foreboding poster touts the same call for conservation: Swearing off sugar in the name of the war effort also was a trend: The “donut lassies” of the Salvation Army cooked the confection for American soldiers, or “doughboys,” on the front lines — explaining where all the sugar went: A poster for the U.S. Marines features a woman in uniform. Women served as secretaries, messengers, newsletter writers and recruiters filling in for male office personnel who were reassigned to the front: A Navy recruitment poster takes a different tack: The National Guard got in on the recruiting action: Private companies appealed to people’s patriotism to recruit workers as well: The war spurred the use of trucks as a means for transporting cargo to supplement busy railroads: Posters encouraged soldier to stick it out until the end: All images of World War I posters are courtesy of the National Archives. Follow @NewsHourWorld By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
During World War I, posters beckoned civilians to join the armed forces and beseeched state-side warriors to conserve wheat and sugar, all in the name of helping the troops. Below is a sample of some of those posters. Use of tanks in World War I was relatively new. The Tanks Corps of the U.S. Armed Forces at first used French and British-made armored vehicles: Celebrating the nation’s 142nd birthday was a bayonet-bearing Uncle Sam: A poster depicts the bloody hand of a “Hun” or German soldier: A more pointed message on the same theme: Liberty bonds helped fund the war effort: A poster encourages support of women in France by conserving wheat: A more foreboding poster touts the same call for conservation: Swearing off sugar in the name of the war effort also was a trend: The “donut lassies” of the Salvation Army cooked the confection for American soldiers, or “doughboys,” on the front lines — explaining where all the sugar went: A poster for the U.S. Marines features a woman in uniform. Women served as secretaries, messengers, newsletter writers and recruiters filling in for male office personnel who were reassigned to the front: A Navy recruitment poster takes a different tack: The National Guard got in on the recruiting action: Private companies appealed to people’s patriotism to recruit workers as well: The war spurred the use of trucks as a means for transporting cargo to supplement busy railroads: Posters encouraged soldier to stick it out until the end: All images of World War I posters are courtesy of the National Archives. Follow @NewsHourWorld