Ephemera To Go: War Propaganda

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As in all forms of ephemera, the printing of war propaganda reflected changes in technology, in available resources, and in visual culture. Compared in this section are examples of printed war recruitment efforts from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War I. The handbills and small broadsides from 1776 rely primarily on text for their appeals. The broadside from 1861 employs a stirring illustration but is still dependent on text. Finally, the poster from 1917 has very little text, most of it integral to the illustration, which speaks, quite loudly, for itself. Each design approach to recruitment was inextricably tied to, and most appropriate for, its era of production.

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