World War I had a devastating effect on Europe’s food production. To combat starvation in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson established the United States Food Administration in August 1917. Led by Herbert Hoover, the agency took control of the production of food in America. It would be one of the most efficient and successful governmental initiatives in American history. During and immediately after the war, more than 33 million pounds of food would be delivered to Europe. In a series of posters, Americans were urged to save food so that more could be sent overseas. According to Hoover “Every grain of wheat and every ounce of flour and bread saved now is exactly the amount supplied to some man, woman and child among the allies.”
This 1917 poster is an appeal for the purchase of “Liberty Bonds” to help finance the cost of the war. It combines the popular Victor Brenner silhouette image of Lincoln unveiled eight years previously on the Lincoln cent with the last couplet from the Gettysburg Address.
