Hunger Breeds Madness: America's Food Must Save the World
A woman collapses over a child beside an empty bowl in a ruined European city while a man stands over them with a lit torch, under the words 'Hunger breeds madness' and a credit to Woodrow Wilson. The tell is the threat image: starvation is shown producing violence, and the closing line ties American food exports to preventing it.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1918
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- U.S. Food Administration
- 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, War and the military
- Event
- World War I
- Regime
- Wilson administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 4 (U.S. Food Administration), World War I Posters (NAID 512439), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
U.S. Food Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-114.
Text on the object
EMIL GREBS hunger breeds madness WOODROW WILSON America's Food must save the world UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION FOSTER & KLEISER SCHMIDT LITHO. S.F.
Small printer lines at bottom edges are partly legible; read as given.
