4 Minute Men: A Message from Washington
A town crier in a tricorn hat rings a handbell in front of Independence Hall beneath the words '4 Minute Men', with a card reading 'A Message from Washington' and the Committee on Public Information named at the foot. The costume, the building and the Minute Men name borrow the standing of 1775-1776 for a 1917 federal speakers' programme, so a government bulletin arrives dressed as a citizens' call to arms.
- Date
- 1917
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- Committee on Public Information (Four Minute Men division); artist H. Devitt Welsh
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Media and information
- Event
- World War I
- Techniques
- Transfer
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Library of Congress, retrieved September 27, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain in the U.S. (published before 1931)
Welsh, H. Devitt, 1888-1942, artist. 1917. Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-53577.
Text on the object
4 MINUTE MEN A MESSAGE FROM WASHINGTON INDEPENDENCE HALL COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION
The artist's signature ('H. Devitt Welsh') is written in script at lower right of the illustration, small but legible; it is a signature rather than body text and is not included in originalText.
