The art of battle: a celebration of posters that inspired a nation through the "War to End All Wars".

• Position: USA Yesterday

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WORKING FOR the Division of Pictorial Publicity, created by Pres. Woodrow Wilson as part of the controversial Committee on Public Information, Philadelphia Sketch Club artists were part of a national effort to motivate citizens to support the war effort. More than 300 of the U.S.'s foremost cartoonists, designers, illustrators, and painters signed up to work for the division, contributing to the government's efforts to shape and mobilize public opinion of The Great War, as it was called then. (The "War to End All Wars" was not known as World War I until the commencement of World War II a couple of decades later.)

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From April 1917--when the U.S. got involved in the conflict; it started in Europe three years earlier--through the war's end in November 1918, over 700 poster designs were submitted to government agencies, including the Food Administration, Liberty Loan Program, and Red Cross. At the time--well before the advent of television--posters were powerful tools of mass communication and persuasion, and the collective work of these artists constituted a massive and effective advertising campaign. In fact, Congress indicated that two-thirds of the cost of the war was raised by poster bond drives.

"These posters are among World War I's most lasting images," notes David Eisner, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, where an exhibition of these images, "Inspiring A Nation," curated by the U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center, was on display earlier this spring. "Some of the nation's leading artists, including members of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, donated their time and work to create them. In that spirit of patriotic service, the [NCC] is pleased to participate in the ... celebration of the Sketch Club's 150th anniversary."

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The Philadelphia Sketch Club began operations in 1860, founded by six former students of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts who wanted to improve their skills as illustrators. Over the years, Sketch Club members have been influential in the development of American art, regionally and nationally. Members have included luminaries such as Thomas Eakins, Howard Chandler Christy, Thomas Anshutz, Joseph Pennell, N.C. Wyeth, and dozens of members from the golden age of illustration. An extensive celebration of this heritage, including collaborative exhibitions and special events, will take place throughout the year.

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