Must Children Die and Mothers Plead in Vain? Buy More Liberty Bonds

Accession Number
1954/2.35.118

Title
Must Children Die and Mothers Plead in Vain? Buy More Liberty Bonds

Artist(s)
Walter H. Everett

Object Creation Date
circa 1918

Medium & Support
color lithograph on paper

Dimensions
40 9/16 x 29 15/16 in. (103 x 76 cm);4 ft. 1/16 in. x 36 1/16 in. (122 x 91.5 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Maurice F. Lyons

Label copy
Patriotism and emotionalism were the major means used to gain the support of the homefront. "Why Must Children Die" is an excellent example of this emotional appeal. It is considered a good poster inspite of its artistic design, because of the 'punch' it contains in its emotional appeal to humanity and the desire to relieve human suffering. These are important aspects to consider when evaluating a successful poster. The large figures of the mother are her children stand out sharply from the background because of their heavy, rough outlines. This treatment gives them a beaten, despairing attitude which is heightened by the woman's outstretched arm. The appeal to the comfortable, well-fed viewer its strong, but only after the viewer has stopped to look at the poster. The overall darkness of the poster does not allow it to be the most visually demanding poster but, it does remain on of the more emotionally appealing posters.

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
Vessels
World War I
mother
posters
standing

4 Related Resources

Families
(Part of 5 Learning Collections)
World War I Posters from the U.S.
(Part of 5 Learning Collections)
World War I and Society
(Part of 4 Learning Collections)
Werbung für Politik und Wirtschaft
(Part of: Kinder in der Kunst)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted