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World War I and World War II Posters

 Collection
Identifier: MS-3654

  • Staff Only

This collection consists of twenty-two posters and one panoramic photograph from World War I. The collection also houses five posters from World War II depicting Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms paintings. The World War I posters were illustrated by various artists, including Sidney H. Reisenberg and Howard Chandler Christy, and many are recruitment posters for the YMCA and the YWCA, the United War Work Campaign, the National Catholic War Council, the Jewish Welfare Board, the Salvation Army, and the American Library Assocation. A number of the images encourage the purchase of government war bonds. The panoramic photograph depicts a group of soldiers from the Tennessee Military Institute in Sweetwater, Tennessee, probably taken around World War I. The five Norman Rockwell posters are prints of his famous paintings from 1943 depicting each of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms outlined in his 1941 State of the Union Address: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The collection dates between 1918 and 1943, although several of the World War I posters are undated.

Dates

  • 1918 August 21-1943, undated

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.2 Linear Feet (Oversize - stored above the map drawers)

Abstract

This collection consists of twenty-two posters and one panoramic photograph from World War I. The collection also houses five posters from World War II depicting Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms.

Biographical/Historical Note

The United States entered World War I in April 1917 by declaring war on Germany after Germany began submarine warfare on all commercial ships heading to Britain, including American ships. Although there was significant resistance to American involvement in World War I, many people supported the war and lent their support through a number of organizations and causes. Several organizations joined to raise funds for a campaign known as the United War Work Campaign, including the YMCA, the Jewish Welfare Board, the National Catholic War Council, the American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. Others also bought special war bonds known as Liberty Bonds to support the allied cause in World War I.

The Tennessee Military Institute in Sweetwater, Tennessee began as the Sweetwater Military College, founded by Presbyterian minister J. Lynn Bachman. In 1911, U. S. army instructors began directing military instruction, and after World War I in 1918, the school began its R.O.T.C. program. The institute closed in 1988.

In January 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a State of the Union address outlining Four Freedoms that he believed people everywhere in the world had the privilege to enjoy. These freedoms were: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. In 1943, artist Norman Rockwell painted a series of oil paintings, each depicting a different freedom. The paintings were featured in the Saturday Evening Post, and the touring exhibition of these paintings raised money for the allied war effort in World War II. They remain some of his most famous paintings to this day.

Arrangement

This collection consists of seven oversize folders divided into two series:

Missing Title

  1. World War I, 1918-1919, undated
  2. World War II, 1943

Acquisition Note

This collection is the property of Special Collections.

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480