WWI Poster Made on Behalf of Armenian Relief Fund to be Auctioned

NEW YORK (Armradio.am) — A collection of about 2,000 posters from the World War One era, considered to be one of the world’s finest and amassed over more than a decade by a U.S. Army officer, will be sold at auction later this month, Guernsey’s auction house said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

The collection, which will go under the hammer during an online, unreserved auction with no minimum bids on June 30 and July 1, includes the famous poster of a stern-looking, top-hatted Uncle Sam pointing a finger with the words, “I Want You for U.S. Army.”

Another patriotic poster shows the American flag and laborers with the words “Teamwork Wins,” while a third is of French women working in a laundry inscribed “Four Years in the Fight.”

Although all of the posters, works of art which are expected to fetch between $200 to $5,000 apiece, are patriotic, their topics range from fundraising and food rationing to women’s war efforts, enlistment and animal aid.

About half of the posters are from the United States, while others are in various languages from more than 15 countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Cuba and China.

The largest poster is a massive 9- by 14-foot American work urging people to “Give, or we Perish,” that was made on behalf of the Armenian Relief Fund.