The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-05
TOPEKA srATB JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
Blu IRE AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. D. c.
WAR POSTERS.
Washington. D. c

approval by besieging the government
departments with requests for copies
of favorite designs. Eloquence, spok-
en- and written, plays its part; but 1t is
! the poster that flashes to the passer-
| by a sudden glimpse of the reality OF
war, impelling him to explore his
pocketbook or order corn bread for
| lunch.
The idea of government advertising
was more of a shock to England than
| to this country A month after Eng
land entered the war, recruiting was
| being promoted by aid OF posters
which reached the influenced COM
+, munities inaccessible to the recruit
| ing officers. Progressive England APP
plauded; conservative England gasp
| ed. The London Morning Post,
| highly conventional organ of British
society. broadly denounced this COM
rnercial boosting of patriotism as vul-
| gar and unworthy of England's tradi-
lions. London editorials notwithstand
/ ing, the poster continued to blaze
/ from fences and walls, carrying its
message to every corner of the empire.
There has been no one outsta nding
| example which could be termed the
best American poster. Many of our
designs have been excellent from the
artistic point of view, and have, at the
same time. carried a strong, general
appeal. A few have been common
place, and a great number have beer
successful with a single type or class
ofN persons.
A large percentage OF the two thou
sand posters used by the various war
org -'-ati~---- 1--we been drawn by the
well known artists of the country,
some of whom have had previous ex-
perience in poster design. while 9TH
ers have studied it since the call came.
A conspicuous example of the less
prominent man achieving sudden re-
rown thru war poster is.the case of
Mr.. A. E:-Foringer, commercial art
ist, VIII, submitted to the Red Cross
! the design for 1.-THE Greatest Mother
has attracted so much attention. has
been adopted by the Red Cross as a
trade mark.
| 1t is an ancient Jest that almost ev-
cry person thinks that he or she can
do one of three things-sing. write or
paint. The government is inclined to
believe that more than one-third of
the population is convinced that it
can paint and that posters are the GER
tain medium by which fame can be
Immediately secured. Amateur artists
, do not appear to understand that ev-
cry poster used by the government
fits some particular need and carries
some timely message. A picture of
the Goddess of Liberty holding up
lifted a prize carrot and urging the
populace to eat carrotssand save the
world has small chance of securing
attention even tho the drawing and
coloring may be good. Yet ideas more
unsuitable than this. infected with
cubist recklessness, or painted in fiji
teen colers, are an item of the poster
experts daily mail.
No poster selecting bureau In the
government is accepting rough draw
, ings that could be. made passable with
touching up, or designs that could be
used if revised and adapted. There
: are too many competent artists giving
their services to make it worth while
Tor the government to have crude
work patched up. The fact that al
most all the poster work is being done
: by artists who have arrived" does
not eliminate the struggling young
genius from the competition if he has
originality, skill in drawing and col
oring, and understanding Of what con-
! stitutes a good poster.
=. Because good poster cannot be
executed in a day, the liberty loan
committee starts its work on the post
ers for the next drive Immediately al
the close of the preceding loan.
In the selection of a poster the main
question is Has it the punch?" In
other words, is the appeal there. fore
, ing the attention of the public to the
message and making 1t feel the ur.
gercy of the demand. The dificulty
in deciding this all-important prob.
, lem is that a poster showing a wound
ed soldier, which would impel the
father of an enlisted man to subscribe
I
I with no relatives in service SO surely
: tas a card urging general patriotism
4 LOT those who cannot go into the
3 trenches.
OF the hundreds submitted at each
4 campaign to the liberty loan poster
Q committee, only ten or twelve are Sc
" leeted. This collection is chosen with
a view to reaching all classes. Thus
certain of the posters for the last lear
9 made particular appeal to the for.
: eign born element. the farmer, the
9 child, the sentimental person. the
: business man. A study of fairly com
i plete collection of our posters, such a:
e that at the congressional library
: shows still more clearly the changing
appeals made to the American publ,
: as it was affected by the sinking of al
:, unarmed ship, the wheat shortage, {
r great battle.
This matter of timeliness is one o.
: the most important elements of a pos
q ter. If stress is being laid on the saw
: ing of sugar. then a wheat conserva
ton appeal is undesirable Whei
heavy drive the fighting spirit is ac
d centuated.
n Always originality is at a premium
1t is special cause for worry to tn,
= liberty loan poster committee that
/" request for designs enbodying a Ger
l. tain idea brings in hundreds of litera
), pictorial representations of the sug
- gested idea. That Is, call fer al
/ "oyer the top poster will result in tn
y descent of a regiment of soldier
:. drawn in all degrees of skill, all stead
lily going over the top of a trench il
: regulation attitudes Of tenseness.
n Besides timeliness and appeal tn
d poster committee must consider ex
IL penses. Ninety per cent of our poster
u are displayed in the interests of tn
e liberty loan. Some $2e0, 900 are spen
1t on the posters for each campaign. Thi
figure is not representative of tn
~ regular cost Of advertising, becaus
t. window space, fences, and OFFICE wall
.e are donated to the government b.
business concerns all over the coun
try. Furthermore, the lithographeR
: who manufacture the government
l. posters accept contracts almost at cost
ia Considering usual advertising rates,
is safe to say that it would cost tn