Help Crush the Menace of the Seas, 1917-1919

Item — Folder: 2

Identifier: A1996-089-005

Scope and Contents

World War I political poster depicting U.S. warship on ocean horizon with a bloody hand holding dagger rising from waves. The caption reads "Help crush the menace of the seas/ Buy Liberty Bonds/...".

Dates

Creation: 1917-1919

Creator

From the Collection: Holland, H. Brian (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Full Extent

1 item/s : Chromolithograph and paper ; overall: 28 in x 18.25 in

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Exhibition Label

Object labels, from Americans, Do Your Bit: World War I in Posters Opened 3 June 2017

Help Crush the Menace of the Seas, 1917-1919 Joseph L. Grosse Printed by Connor-Fyffe New York, New York Gift of H. Brian Holland, A96/089/05

In the early years of the war, German submarines attacked British merchant vessels. In 1915 a submarine sunk the British luxury ocean liner Lusitania. Over 1,100 people, many Americans among them, perished. Here, a knife-wielding hand rises like a periscope out of dark waters, dramatically suggesting an attack from beneath the sea. This poster promised that the money raised through war bonds would help ensure the safety of the American vessels that transported servicemen and supplies to Europe.