Women! Help America's Sons Win the War. Buy U.S. Government Bonds. 2nd Liberty Loan of 1917
A gray-haired woman in a white blouse stands before a draped American flag with her arms open, flanked by a torpedoed ship with men in lifeboats on one side and a battlefield with a US flag on the other. The headline addresses women directly and links bond purchase to the soldiers' success. The tell is the pairing of a maternal figure with scenes of peril, which attaches the loan to protecting sons.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1917
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- U.S. Treasury Department (2nd Liberty Loan); R. H. Porteous (artist); Edwards & Deutsch Litho. Co. (printer)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Fundraise
- Themes
- War and the military, 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
U.S. Treasury Department (2nd Liberty Loan); R. H. Porteous (artist); Edwards & Deutsch Litho. Co. (printer). National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-224.
Text on the object
WOMEN! HELP AMERICA'S SONS WIN THE WAR BUY U.S. GOVERNMENT BONDS 2ND LIBERTY LOAN OF 1917 [signature:] R. H. Porteous [lower left:] No. 11 [lower right:] EDWARDS & DEUTSCH LITHO. CO. CHICAGO
'No. 11' at lower left is small and uncertain; part of 'OF 1917' is torn away but legible.
