Accession Number
1954/2.35.105

Title
Come On! Buy More Liberty Bonds

Artist(s)
Walter Whitehead

Object Creation Date
1918

Medium & Support
color lithograph on paper

Dimensions
36 1/16 x 24 1/16 in. (91.5 x 61 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Maurice F. Lyons

Label copy
The illustrator, Walter Whitehead, entered the war effort as an executive member of the Division of Pictorial Publicity, the voluntary committee of artists organized to produce posters and other art work in support of the war effort. Not specifically a poster artist himself, Whitehead was, however, to guide many other such artists in his teaching position at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In his "Come On! Buy More Liberty Bonds," Whitehead offers one of the few images in the exhibition which suggests at least some of the violence of war in the from of a slain German soldier. This is hardly overdone as the enemy's face is hidden, his body a nondescript heap. With his stoic American solider who, in coldly stepping over the fallen body, acquires only the trace of blood on his boot to suggest conflict, Whitehead rather heavy-handedly--yet forcefully--suggests a superior might, grim determination, and vigorous continued effort among American forces. In this poster the artist's primary concern is the conveyance of his message in attractive bold, red letters which contrast with the generalized but recognizable body forms.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Text-based Art
World War I
bayonet
death
guns
helmet
lame
males
modern and contemporary art
posters
soldier
stand
standing
wars