Courier

Media Credit: Sothan Thach Over 500 posters from World War I and II are showcased in the Norton Simon Museum until Jan. 26.

In 1952, Helen F. Robinson and Edith Robinson donated a set of 525 20th century American war posters to the Norton Simon Museum (then named the Pasadena Art Institute), and more than 50 years later, most of them have never been seen in public until now.

On view until Jan. 26, "The Art of War: American Posters from World War I and World War II" features 33 pieces from the total collection and includes some of the most famous pieces of American art.

In 1917, upon entering the First World War, the U.S. government began utilizing a simple yet effective tool that was already being used by both the Entente and Central Powers: the propaganda poster. Cheap, inspiring and informative, the war posters of WWI were the perfect solution for a government to attain both patriotism and resources from its populace.

Visitors entering the display, which was organized by Leah Lehmbeck, assistant curator at the Norton Simon Museum, are greeted by Uncle Sam himself, demanding your service in the armed forces from the prominent placard "I Want You for U.S. Army" by James Montgomery Flagg. One of the first posters created for the war, Flagg's depiction of the national personification of the United States is one of the most recognized images of the twentieth century. Over the course of WWI, the image was reproduced over 4 million times, and was even reused during WWII.

The exhibit presents an extraordinary range of artistic techniques which are organized into four themes: production, conservation, economic sacrifice and general patriotism.

Images of American troops injured or in danger are coupled with urges to buy war bonds, which at the time was the single most effective way for a civilian to contribute to the war effort. The ads, though blatant, are truly ahead of their time when considering racism and sexism in early twentieth century America.

"The methods spoke directly to the American public and affirmed a uniquely American aesthetic," said Lehmbeck.

Several posters praise Belgian, Chinese, and Czechoslovakian peoples around the world for their association with the allies. In one work by Robert George Harris, entitled "Do the job they left behind," a figure that would later be named Rosie the Riveter wipes the sweat from her brow as she continues her work as a machinist, grasping a sense of equality that would be considered unprecedented if it were not for a threat as unifying as global warfare.

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