Poster: Food Will Win the War

Book Description

FOOD WILL WIN THE WAR - Superb World War One Poster(POSTER/WWI) Food Will Win the War. Charles Chambers. New York: The United States Food Administration, Rusling Wood litho, 1917. Text in English. Linen backed image measures 30 inches x 20 inches. Fine Condition."Food Will Win the War!" This was the slogan used during World War I to encourage farmers, ranchers and homemakers in America to produce more food and to conserve essential commodities. The artist Charles Chambers (1883-1941) appeals to the patriotic spirit and gratitude of immigrants to America shown arriving by ship into New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty stands majestically bathed inside a red, white and blue rainbow through which the fabled New York City skyline glows. The newly arrived men and women appear golden in the early morning sun. You came here seeking freedom.You must be prepared to preserve it.WHEAT is needed for the Allies.Waste NothingMajor wars have always had a significant impact on agriculture. Even though a country at peace may be in a period of apparent surplus production, the outbreak of war produces food problems of immediate international concern. Herbert Hoover, the head of the U.S. Food Administration, recognized that since America produced half of the world’s corn and a quarter of its wheat in 1917, we were in a unique position to overcome the severe food shortages in Europe. Though this poster makes an appeal for conserving the most critical food item of wheat --corn, barley and vegetables were also targeted. Every form of educational propaganda that could be devised was employed to stimulate wheat acreage. Using the incentives of price and patriotism, finally of outright inflation, the farm business labored and expanded. The population cooperated and the U.S. was completely successful in its mission to feed the Allies.This poster was produced not only in English but also Yiddish, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian. 

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