OVER HERE: WORLD WAR I POSTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

September 10, 2014 - February 1, 2015

Edward Penfield (1866–1925), Will You Help the Women of France? Save Wheat. They Are Struggling against Starvation, and Trying to Feed Not Only Themselves and Children, but Their Husbands and Sons Who Are Fighting in the Trenches., 1918. Color lithograph. New York: Printed by W. F. Powers Litho. Co.; Washington, D.C.: Published by the U. S. Food Administration. 36½ x 56¼ inches (sheet). Gift of Bartlett H. Hayes, 1985

The Boston Athenæum holds an extraordinary, but little known, collection of World War I posters. Consisting of nearly 1,800 posters from fourteen countries, this collection provides a unique graphic record of the War of Nations. The exhibition, Over Here: World War I Posters from around the World, timed to coincide with centennial observances of World War I, featured highlights from the collection, including forty-four framed posters and cases filled with leaflets, postcards, and book and magazine illustrations.

Over Here: World War I Posters from Around the World was curated by Catharina Slautterback, Curator of Prints & Photographs at the Boston Athenæum. The exhibition was accompanied by an illustrated booklet with an essay by Ms. Slautterback.