New Collection | Wartime Posters
“You are Needed Now!” “Keep the Wheels Turning!” “Food Will Win the War!” “Books Wanted For Our Men!” These and other slogans are showcased in the newly processed Wartime Posters Collection (Coll 467), available for use in Special Collections and University Archives (Knight Library, 2nd floor North).
Spanning over four decades, the 550 posters in the collection represent ephemeral propaganda from 13 countries, illustrating the uses to which print media was put in 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. Moreover, the posters in this collection document the changes, both social and economic, that resulted from these conflicts (e.g. the changing roles of women, the introduction and influence of new technologies, etc.).