[GROUP OF WORLD WAR I-ERA AMERICAN RED CROSS EPHEMERA, INCLUDING CHROMOLITHOGRAPH POSTER, RED CROSS FLAG, AND NURSE'S VEIL].

[Washington, D.C. , ca. 1914-1921].. Collection of WWI Red Cross Ephemera Including Charles B. Chambers Poster A small collection of Red Cross ephemera, including Charles Bosseron Chambers' iconic Red Cross Roll Call Poster as well as a contemporary linen Red Cross nurse's headband and veil and contemporary Red Cross flag. The poster by Chambers is lithographed in eight colors and shows a Red Cross nurse standing in front of a bombed-out and burning city, with a placard that reads: "I am the Red Cross of Peace – I heal the wounds of war – I am a refuge from fire, flood and pestilence – The love of little children is mine – I am the Red Cross of Peace." The banner at the bottom of the poster contains the phrases "American Red Cross" and "In the service of those who suffer" in bold black and red lettering. The poster was created for a Red Cross "Roll Call," the organization's annual membership drive where Red Cross members are asked to renew their memberships and the general public is asked to join. The accompanying war-era Red Cross nurse's headband and flag provide physical evidence of the women and men who answered the call of Chambers' poster and continued to care for those affected by the Great War. This is a white cap with a red silk cross sewn on, meaning that the original owner would have been a relief worker with at least seventy-two hours of experience. Charles Bosseron Chambers (1880-1964), an American illustrator, painter and teacher was trained at the Berlin Royal Academy, the Royal Academy of Vienna, and later went on to study art in Dresden and Italy. Although Chambers' main focus was religious art, he also created magazine covers and posters. This poster is rare in commerce: we locate no records in Rare Book Hub, and only for on OCLC, at the University of Montreal, the Pritzker Military Library, Ball State University, and in one of the member libraries of the Minuteman Library Network. An attractive collection of early-20th-century Red Cross ephemera, anchored by Chambers' striking illustrated poster. Poster: stain to bottom right corner, closed tear to bottom edge, two small closed tears on the top edge. Flag: Light soiling and tanning to linen, two short tears to far right edge with associated fraying, small open tear to the top-right corner. Headband and veil: Two small, faint stains to front and heavier stains to rear of the headband, a few faint stains to veil, otherwise clean. Overall, about very good, with the flag good only. The Poster, Vol. XII, No. 2 (February 1921), p.20. OCLC 1105046889, 917160957, 894256208, 907934216.