Original Item: Only One Available. As the end of World War I was approaching, the American Library Association took a proactive step to help soldiers returning to civilian life. They created occupational reading lists, which included books that could help the soldiers acquire new skills and knowledge, and prepare them for employment opportunities. These reading lists were widely distributed to various locations, such as embarkation offices, hospitals, YMCA offices, camp libraries, and public libraries. The initiative by the American Library Association proved to be a significant aid in the transition of soldiers from a military lifestyle to a civilian one.

The poster was the single most important means of mass communication and was a major tool used to garner support and boost morale. It was used by all sides of the conflict. The style and format of the posters vary, some were created by well-known artists of the time while others were strictly informative. Many were designed to stir emotions to get the viewer to supply money for the effort, conserve resources or to volunteer to fight. The process used to create the poster, three stone color lithography allowed the printing of large numbers at a relatively low cost.

The poster illustrated here is titled “Knowledge Wins” showing a soldier leaving the trenches of Europe and his weapons behind. He’s looking across the Atlantic towards an American city and the bridge that will take him there. The bridge is paved with library books, which is symbolic of the knowledge found there that often leads to success! This poster was created for the American Library Association’s War Service Committee in 1918 after designs by Dan Smith (1865-1934) a noted illustrator of the time.

The poster appears to have been well taken care of, however, upon closer inspection, there are noticeable areas of tearing and hard fold marks that suggest it has been handled quite a bit. The outer edges of the poster show signs of fraying and tearing, which could be the result of being hung or displayed for an extended period of time. Despite these issues, the colors of the poster have held up relatively well over time, although some fading is visible. Overall, the poster retains a good level of detail and is still easily recognizable.

Comes more than ready to be framed and displayed.