66 Amazing Posters That Encourage Americans During World War One

The World War One graphics collection from Library Company of Philadelphia that consists of materials relating to the conflict and its immediate aftermath. Predominantly issued in the United States, the posters in this collection encourage American military enlistment, the purchase of war bonds, home front frugality, and support for relief organizations, including the Red Cross.

Illustrators represented in the collection include Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952), Joseph Pennell (1857-1926), Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935), and James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960).

A basket of food sits in front of a silhouette of mounted soldiers

A boy holds a sword labeled 'Be Prepared', another person wearing a flag holds a shield behind the boy

A boy plowing over a battle in the background to recruit young men to join the U.S. Boys' Working Reserve, 'the Army behind the Army'

A boy waving a flag and a girl stand beside one another

A family stands in front of an American flag

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30 Incredible Photos of the Canary Girls, Female Munition Workers in WWI Whose Hair and Skin Turned Yellow

During World War I the United Kingdom called upon its female population to join the workforce. With a majority of men being deployed and a dire need for production both to support the troops and to keep the country running, women were asked to "do their bit".

Munition factories were one of the main sites where man (or woman) power was needed. These production facilities dealt mainly with trinitrotoluene (TNT), a toxic chemical compound that was originally used as a yellow die before its potential as an explosive was discovered.

It is no wonder that the women who were exposed to TNT on a daily basis turned yellow due to depigmentation of the skin. Their hair would often turn green or reddish too and sometimes even fall off altogether. Hence the nickname 'Canary Girls' or 'Munitionettes'. The side effects of working with such a toxic substance was not just visual. Other effects include: vomiting, nausea, migraines, breast deformation, chest pain, and weakening of the immune system.

On top of all these risks, the leading cause of death in the factories was explosions. The biggest of these blasts was in 1918 at the National Shell Filling Factory, Chilwell and killed 130 workers. This is Britain's worst ever disaster involving an explosion and it was the biggest loss of life in a single explosion during WWI.

Despite all these hazards and the women's ability to perform both heavy duty and delicate tasks perfectly, on average, women were paid less than half of what their male counterparts received.

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An Amazing Collection of Studio Portrait Photos of North Carolina Soldiers in World War I

Nearly 100 years ago, thousands of North Carolina men shipped out to Europe to serve in the Great War. The photographs in this album are from the collection Warren County Compiled Individual Military Service Records (WWI 92) in the WWI Papers of the Military Collection at the State Archives of North Carolina.

The collection is composed of compiled military service record forms and photographs documenting the World War I service of 108 Warren and Halifax Counties, N.C., military service individuals. The majority of the collection documents men from Warren County. The collection also includes materials for men from Halifax County, N.C., who had been serving in the Warren County unit of the North Carolina National Guard—Company H, 3rd Infantry—which was converted into Company H, 120th Infantry, 30th Division, under federal U.S. Army service during WWI. The collection was compiled by W. Brodie Jones, the volunteer War Records Collector for Warren County, N.C., on behalf of the North Carolina Historical Commission during WWI.

This collection contains the largest set of North Carolina African Americans' WWI portraits in the Military Collection. Many of these images were recently identified and had been unknown as representing black soldiers.

Here is a studio portrait photo collection of North Carolina soldiers from State Archives of North Carolina. They includes sailors, Marines, and aviators who served in U.S. Army during WWI.

Bert R. Blythe of Tarboro, N.C., sitting in a chair in his Army uniform, holding onto the corner of an American flag, served in the 156th Depot Brigade and Company M, 321st Infantry.

Brady N. Burleyson of Albemarle, N.C in his U.S. Army uniform, leaning against a stand, served in 322nd Infantry, 81st Division.

Burnwell C. Jackson from Kinston, N.C., wearing his U.S. Army uniform, was killed on July 20, 1918, in Soissons, France, after being shot by a machine gun three times.

Capt. Wallace Whitfield Riddick Sr., of West Raleigh, N.C., served as a U.S. Army engineer with the 105th Engineers and the 115th Field Artillery, 30th Division, in France.

Captain Frank S. Spruill from Rocky Mount, N.C., wearing his U.S. Army uniform, served as a Captain in Company B, 52nd Infantry, 6th Division.

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Boxing Match Between Two American Troops on Board a Ship During Their Voyage Home From Europe, ca. 1918

An amazing animated stereoview shows American troops watching a boxing match between two of their comrades on board a ship during their voyage home from Europe, ca. 1918.

A number of existing troopships, as well as ships seized from Germany, were used to return troops from Europe to the United States after the Armistice. In addition, there were several foreign-flagged ships used only for troop returns.

Up until November 11, 1918, all efforts were made to send troops to Europe. Once hostilities ceased, the United States faced a huge logistical problem of returning the troops home again.

Incredible Photographs Capture Trench Rats Killed by Terriers During World War I

The trench soldier of World War I had to cope with millions of rats. The omnipresent rats were attracted by the human waste of war – not simply sewage waste but also the bodies of men long forgotten who had been buried in the trenches and often reappeared after heavy rain or shelling. Two or three rats would always be found on a dead body. They usually went for the eyes first and then they burrowed their way right into the corpse. Trench conditions were ideal for rats.

Some of these rats grew extremely large. It was not uncommon for rats to start gnawing on the bodies of wounded men who couldn’t defend themselves. Many troops were awakened by rats crawling across their faces. These rats became very bold and would attempt to take food from the pockets of sleeping men.

Disgusted and often feeling a horror of their presence, soldiers would devise various means of dealing with the rat problem. Although shooting at rats was strictly prohibited – it being regarded as a pointless waste of ammunition – many soldiers nevertheless took pot shots at nearby rats in this manner. Attacking rats with bayonets was also common.

But efforts to eliminate them proved futile. A single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring a year. Cats and terriers were kept by soldiers in the frontline trenches to help free them of disease-carrying rats. The terriers were actually very effective in killing rats.

There is difference between a cat and a terrier when it comes to rodent control. When it comes to cats, even the best mousers only go after one at a time, and they often pause to eat. Generally it can take them days/weeks to deal with an infestation because of this. With a good terrier, they will take care of your rat issues in a matter of hours. They don’t stop to eat. They kill, then move on immediately to the next creature. They don’t play with their prey like cats do. They kill immediately. One terrier will also be much harder for rats to overwhelm as well. They are bigger and stronger than a cat, and their jaws are much bigger. That’s what they were bred, to kill rats.

Rats on German trenches. The rat problem remained for the duration of the war (although many veteran soldiers swore that rats sensed impending heavy enemy shellfire and consequently disappeared from view).

Two German soldiers posing with rats caught in their trench.

Three German soldiers display rats killed in their trench the previous night. 1916.

The result of 15 minute’s rat-hunting in a French trench. Note the Jack Russell Terrier in the gentleman’s arms at left.

“Large feast of rat goulash today”. A commercial card depicting German artillerymen preparing several dead rats and one hapless mouse (or a skittish rat) for their evening repast – and who said Germans don’t have a sense of humor.

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10 Ways Animals Have Helped the War Effort from World War I & II

Throughout history animals have accompanied men into combat as modes of transport and communication, protectors and companions. They have fulfilled a variety of roles – from carrying men and munitions to evacuating the wounded, performing guard and sentry duties to carrying out search and rescue operations...

Here are some of the ways animals have helped the war effort in World War I and II.

1. Cavalry and Horse-Mounted Infantry

9th Hodson's Horse (Bengal Lancers), Indian Army, near Vraignes during the Battle of Arras, April 1917.

When the First World War broke out in 1914, both sides had large cavalry forces. Horse and camel-mounted troops were used throughout the war, particularly in the desert campaigns, but on the Western Front cavalry charges became increasingly difficult as the fighting became deadlocked and trench warfare took over. Over the course of the twentieth century, the role of cavalry continued to change as combat became more mechanized.


2. Medical Evacuation

Regimental aid post and horse ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), during the Third Battle of Ypres, 24 September 1917.

Ambulances – both horse-drawn and motorized – were part of a vast network of medical services set up to treat the wounded. Pictured here is a horse-drawn ambulance on the Western Front during the First World War. Animals were also used to evacuate the wounded when wheeled or motorized transport was not possible, either because of rough terrain or where roads were in poor condition. In desert conditions, camels fitted with cacolets to carry the wounded would transport casualties to aid posts, dressing stations or field hospitals. One camel could usually carry two injured men – one on each side of its hump.


3. Transport

Pack mules carry shells through the mud near Ypres during the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, 1 August 1917.

During the First World War, pack animals like horses, donkeys and mules travelled over landscapes destroyed by heavy bombardments to deliver the war materiel needed at the front. Working individually or in teams, they would carry heavy guns and ammunition, as well as other vital supplies, especially where the use of motorized transport was impossible. This practice continued into the Second World War, when elephants were also used to carry weapons and ammunition in the Far East. Animals were not only used to carry weapons and supplies, but to transport men as well.


4. Gas Detection

The 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company's Mine Rescue Station at Hulluch, near Loos in France, 31 January 1918.

This photograph was taken near Loos in France on 31 January 1918 and displays rescue equipment used by the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company during the First World War. The cages in the foreground were used to carry mice or canaries, which were used to detect the presence of poison gas.


5. Pest Control

Pet dog of the Middlesex Regiment with its catch of rats in the trenches on the Western Front during the First World War.

Conditions in the trenches could lead to infestations of disease-spreading pests, particularly rats attracted by food, waste and dead bodies. Cats and dogs were sometimes trained to hunt these vermin and help maintain hygiene in the trenches. This is the pet dog of the Middlesex Regiment, pictured with its catch of rats in a trench on the Western Front during the First World War. Cats were also kept on board Royal Navy and merchant ships to hunt vermin and protect the food stores from rats – a role they have played throughout history.

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Harrowing Vintage Photos of Children and Troops in Gas Masks During World War I

Imagine being a soldier entrenched in the ground and seeing a yellowish fog roll in. At first you don't know what to make of it. Then you begin to smell an odor. It smells like garlic - no wait, more like mustard. Your eyes begin to water and your skin begins to itch and burn. You have to get away from it, but there's no where to go: if you attempt to leave the cover of the trench, you'll be gunned down by enemy soldiers across the battlefield, and yet if you stay, you die choking on this burning yellow cloud! It's everywhere.

This was the experience of some to poison gas in World War I. In many respects World War I, the war fought between several European powers (and eventually America) from 1914-1918, can be thought of as a 'war of firsts.' The aircraft, tank, machine gun, and other technologies first saw widespread use in World War I. And of course, another important invention that was new to the war was the use of poison gas, or what we would call chemical warfare. Chemical weapons scared the daylights out of ordinary soldiers; it's not surprising when you consider the scenario described earlier! It was a powerful new weapon that caused unspeakable agony to those exposed to it.

Gas masks used in World War I were made as a result of poison gas attacks that took the Allies in the trenches on the Western Front by surprise. Early gas masks were crude as would be expected as no-one had thought that poison gas would ever be used in warfare as the mere thought seemed too shocking.

French soldiers with dog wearing gas masks during gas in Western Front trenches, 1916. (Culture Club/Getty Images)

British soldiers wearing gas masks,1917. (SSPL/Getty Images)

Man wearing a gas mask during World War I, November 1915. (Culture Club/Getty Images)

German Soldiers and donkey wearing gas masks during World War I, 1915. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Two nurses wearing gas masks in Soissons, France, circa 1914. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

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37 Rare Photographs of the Battle of the Somme, One of the Bloodiest Battles in Human History

The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was one of the largest battles of the First World War. Fought between July 1 and November 1, 1916 near the Somme River in France, it was also one of the bloodiest military battles in history. On the first day alone, the British suffered more than 57,000 casualties, and by the end of the campaign the Allies and Central Powers would lose more than 1.5 million men.

The Somme campaign in 1916 was the first great offensive of World War I for the British, and it produced a more critical British attitude toward the war. During and after the Somme, the British army started a real improvement in tactics. Also, the French attacked at the Somme and achieved greater advances on July 1 than the British did, with far fewer casualties.

But it is the losses that are most remembered. The first day of the Somme offensive, July 1, 1916, resulted in 57,470 British casualties, greater than the total combined British casualties in the Crimean, Boer, and Korean wars. In contrast, the French, with fewer divisions, suffered only around 2,000 casualties. By the time the offensive ended in November, the British had suffered around 420,000 casualties, and the French about 200,000. German casualty numbers are controversial, but may be about 465,000.

How did this happen? In early 1916, the French proposed a joint Franco-British offensive astride the river Somme. Because of Verdun, the British army assumed the major role of the Somme offensive. Hence, on July 1, 1916, the British army attacked north of the Somme with fourteen infantry divisions, while the French attacked astride and south of the Somme with five divisions. In defense, the German army deployed seven divisions. The British attack was planned by Douglas Haig and Henry Rawlinson, GOC Fourth Army. The two differed about the depth of the offensive and the length of the bombardment, so the adopted plan was an awkward mixture.

The artillery was the key to the offensive, but it did not have the ability to cut all the wire, destroy deep German trenches, knock out all enemy guns, or provide a useful barrage for the infantry attack. And at zero hour on July 1, the artillery shifted away from the German front trenches too quickly and left the infantry exposed. But the French, with Verdun experience, had much more heavy artillery and attacked in rushes, capturing more ground and suffering less.

After July 1, a long stalemate settled in, with the German army digging defenses faster than Allied attacks could take place. Despite small advances, the Somme became a bloody battle of attrition, and Haig has been criticized for prolonging the campaign into winter, especially for the last six weeks. The Somme was an expensive lesson in how not to mount effective attacks, but the German army was also weakened and in February retreated to new, and shorter, defensive lines.

In the week leading up to the battle, over 1.5 million shells were fired.

French troops prepare to move on German positions.

A 45,000-pound mine (2 ton) under the German front line positions at Hawthorn Redoubt is fired 10 minutes before the assault at Beaumont Hamel on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The mine left a crater 130 feet (40 m) across and 58 feet (18 m) deep. July 1, 1916.

British troops go “over the top” in a scene staged for a newsreel film on the battle. 1916.

Men of the Royal Irish Rifles rest during the opening hours of the Battle of the Somme. July 1, 1916.

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Propaganda Art for WWI and WWII: 18 Fantastic Victory Garden Posters

To ensure enough food for American service members and civilians, the U.S. government promoted home gardening as a patriotic gesture that would also support those on the home front contending with food rationing.

During World War I and World War II, gardening took on a distinctly martial air. Citizens were encouraged to grow their own backyard produce (dubbed “war gardens” in WWI and “victory gardens” in WWII, which shows how far the art of positive spin had progressed in just a few decades). At the same time, food rationing was in effect domestically to support overseas troops — “An army marches on its stomach,” goes the quote by Napoleon Bonaparte — and citizens were encouraged to think carefully about food waste and watching what they ate.

“It gave everyone a sense of contributing to the war effort, sometimes in the most minuscule ways,” Dr. Paul Ruffin, Distinguished Professor of English at Texas State University, who has written about victory gardens, told Modern Farmer. “If they could grow a few vegetables, even just to feed their family, that meant they weren’t taking away from national resources. And in many cases, they would grow a sufficient quantity of vegetables they could contribute directly to the war effort.”

Culled from the Library of Congress, here are some of our favorite food posters from that era.

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Postal Operation During World War I – 19 Rare Lantern Slides Show the Postmen from 1914-18

A collection of lantern slides from The Postal Museum showing postal operations for various nationalities during the First World War.

Most of these photos were hand-colored. Handwritten captions in black ink on labels above the images were shown below the slides.

British Army Post Office, 1914-18

British Field Post Office, France, 1914-18

Canadian Field Post Office, 1914-18

Distribution of Letters, French, 1914-18

Fetching Christmas Mails, 1918

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18 Beautiful Portrait Photos of Elsie Janis, the Sweetheart of the American Expeditionary Force

Elsie Janis (1889-1956) was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and screenwriter. Entertaining the troops during World War I immortalized her as "the sweetheart of the AEF" (American Expeditionary Force).

Janis’s career in the performing arts was long and varied – from her childhood when she began doing imitations of celebrities in vaudeville, to her starring roles on the stages of New York, London, and Paris, to the battlefield where she entertained troops in France and England during World War I, to Hollywood where she acted, wrote for film, and supervised productions.

From her teen years on, Janis wrote songs for herself and for others as well as a number of books, magazine articles, and poems. Janis’s mother Jennie was, until her death in 1930, Elsie’s constant companion and manager, and was known as one of show business’s most infamous stage mothers.

While her career took her away from Columbus, Janis always had a fondness for Ohio and Columbus. She was always proud to be an Ohioan. As she often shouted to the troops she entertained in France in 1918, “Do I come from Ohio? By Damn Yes!”

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