World War I Collection
Scope and Contents
The World War I Collection brings together posters, photographs, ephemera and etchings related to the war effort. The bulk of the collection is comprised of posters created in the U.S. between 1914 and 1921, but also includes several posters from Great Britain, Canada and France. These materials range from recruitment calls from the various branches of the military to home front initiatives by the U.S. Food Administration, the National War Garden Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The ephemera items consist of a range of decals, flags, handbills, pamphlets, postcards, smaller posters and war stamps with pragmatic themes similar to the posters. The 12 “living photographs” created by Mole and Thomas feature tens of thousands of soldiers, reservists and other members of the military arranged in such patriotic formations as the Liberty Bell or an American eagle. The 32 glass plate slides in this collection focus on the war effort in France, and the 17 etchings were created by the American painter and print maker Lester George Hornby, who followed French and American forces into the trenches.
Supplement 1 was added in 2017.
Dates
- 1913 - 1923
Language of Materials
The bulk of the materials are in English, but some items are in French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish or Welsh.
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Please consult staff at Chicago Public Library Special Collections to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.
Biographical / Historical
World War I is often referred to as the “Great War.” Its European origins with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914 quickly escalated into an international conflict among 32 countries that continued until November 11, 1918 and took the lives of an estimated 16 million combatants and civilians. Mobilization for over 70 million military personnel worldwide was an enormous undertaking that involved considerable cooperation and participation among civilian home fronts. The United States did not join their allies of Great Britain and France until 1917.
A considerable amount of mass media or propaganda was created to inform the public of events and to influence their opinions and participation. In the U.S., President Woodrow Wilson implemented the Committee on Public Information that encompassed numerous governmental divisions as well as the Army and Navy. These agencies produced advertisements, pamphlets, posters and photographs to convey their messages. In addition, private organizations, like the Red Cross and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) who were active in the war effort created similar materials
Extent
9 Linear Feet (in 5 boxes includes 12 photographs, 17 etchings, 32 glass plate slides and 643 posters (411 original posters))
Abstract
The World War I Collection brings together posters, photographs, ephemera and etchings related to the war effort. The bulk of the collection is comprised of posters created in the U.S. between 1914 and 1921, but also includes several posters from Great Britain, Canada and France. These materials range from recruitment calls from the various branches of the military to home front initiatives by the U.S. Food Administration, the National War Garden Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The ephemera items consist of a range of decals, flags, handbills, pamphlets, postcards, smaller posters and war stamps with patriotic themes similar to the posters. The 12 “living photographs” created by Mole and Thomas feature tens of thousands of soldiers, reservists and other members of the military arranged in such patriotic formations as the Liberty Bell or an American eagle. The 32 glass plate slides in this collection focus on the war effort in France, and the 17 dry point prints were created by the American painter and print maker Lester George Hornby, who followed French and American forces into the trenches.
Arrangement
The World War I Collection is organized into five Series:
Series 1: Posters, 1913-1923
Series 2: Artifacts and Ephemera, circa 1914-1921
Series 3: European War Scenes, 1914-1918
Series 4: Mole & Thomas “Living” Photographs, 1918-1919
Series 5: Lester George Hornby Prints, 1918
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The posters were found in Special Collections; the glass plate slides and some of the ephemeral items may have been transferred from Chicago Public Library branches; the Mole & Thomas “living photographs” were acquired in 1986 and were originally part of the West Side Historical Collection; and the 17 Lester George Hornby prints were a gift of Bernard J. Sandler in 1983. Posters 2018.130 and 2020.30 were purchased in 2018 and 2020.
- American National Red Cross
- Christy, Howard Chandler, 1873-1952
- Coffin, Haskell , 1878-1941
- Cooper, Fred G. (Frederic Gross), 1883-1962
- Falls, C. B. (Charles Buckles), 1874-1960
- Flagg, James Montgomery, 1877-1960
- Great Britain. Parliamentary Recruiting Committee
- Hornby, Lester G. (Lester George), 1882-1956
- Illian, George , 1894-1932
- Levy, Alexander O., 1881-1947
- Leyendecker, J. C. (Joseph Christian), 1874-1951
- Liberty bonds Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- McCutcheon, John T. (John Tinney), 1870-1949
- Mole, Arthur S., 1889-1983
- National War Savings Committee (Great Britain)
- Raleigh, Henry, 1880-1945
- Riesenberg, Sidney H.
- Savings bonds Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935
- United States Food Administration
- United States. Army
- United States. Department of the Treasury
- United States. Marine Corps
- United States. Navy
- United War Work Campaign, Inc
- Victory gardens Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1914-1918 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1914-1918--Posters Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Source
- Sandler, Bernard J. (Person)
- Title
- World War I Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Michelle McCoy, 2016. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Michelle McCoy,
- Date
- 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Unit at Harold Washington Library Center Repository
Harold Washington Library Center, 9th Floor
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State Street
Chicago IL 60605 United States
(312) 747-4875
specoll@chipublib.org