Can I Afford to Pay for Freedom (Canadian Patriotic Fund)
A text-only poster in red and blue type sets 'Freedom' against 'Slavery' and Belgium's occupation against Canadian safety, then asks the reader to subscribe to the Canadian Patriotic Fund for the families of soldiers 'saving us from Belgium's fate'. The tell is that Belgium's occupation stands in for what could happen at home, with no figures on the fund's needs.
- Date
- 1915
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- Canadian Patriotic Fund
- Region
- North America
- Country
- Canada
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- NGO
- Regime
- Borden Government
- Leader
- Robert Borden
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Fundraise
- Themes
- War and the military, Home front
- Event
- World War I
- Techniques
- Fear appealGlittering generalities
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Library of Congress, retrieved September 29, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain in the U.S. (published before 1931); LOC: 'No known restrictions on publication'
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZC4-12721.
Text on the object
CAN I AFFORD To Pay for Freedom BELGIUM MUST AFFORD TO PAY FOR SLAVERY CANADIANS CAN AND MUST PROVIDE FOR FAMILIES OF THOSE MEN WHO ARE SAVING US FROM BELGIUM'S FATE Subscribe Now to the Canadian Patriotic Fund
The poster is set in red and blue display type; the line breaks follow the printed layout.
