The World Cry, Food, Keep the Home Garden going, circa 1918

Item — Folder: 17

Identifier: A1999-081-012

Scope and Contents

Farmers gathering food

Dates

Creation: circa 1918

Creator

McKee, William E., 1901-1988 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Full Extent

1 item/s : Chromolithograph on paper ; overall: 30 x 20 in

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Exhibition Label

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

The World Cry Food, 1917-1919 William Edgar McKee, Jr. (1900-1981) Printed by Forbes Boston Gift of Diana Korzenik and Andrew S. Dibner, A99/81/08

The artist who designed this work took advantage of the public's familiarity with a widely published painting called "The Spirit of "76." This work showed three Revolutionary War era soldier-musicians persevering during battle. With this poster, the artist portrayed gardening as a brave and patriotic act, replacing drums and fifes with containers of produce and a sheaf of wheat. Both the USFA, which published this work, and the Department of Agriculture"s National War Garden Commission promoted food conservation through home production during World War I.