Liberty Sowing the Seeds of Victory
A robed female figure of Liberty with a palm frond scatters seed across a rainbow arching over small farms and a church spire. Beneath, the sheet invites readers to write for free books to the National War Garden Commission in Washington. The tell is the allegory: the symbol of Liberty is attached to planting a home garden, so a gardening request borrows the weight of the national cause.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1917
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- National War Garden Commission (Charles Lathrop Pack, President)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- NGO
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- 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
National War Garden Commission (Charles Lathrop Pack, President). National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-147.
Text on the object
LIBERTY SOWING the SEEDS of VICTORY [artist's signature, lower right of picture, partly legible: Frank V. Dumond] Write for Free Books to NATIONAL WAR GARDEN COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. [fine print along the bottom edge, cut off by the scan edge; legible start: Charles Lathrop Pack, …; NARA's title records: Charles Lathrop Pack, President. P.S. Ridsdale, Secretary.]
The fine print at the bottom edge is cropped by the scan edge; only its first words are visible. The remainder in brackets comes from NARA's catalogue title. The artist's signature is partly legible.
