Alabama's WWI Poster Collection Now Available Online

February 22, 2017

During World War I, many renowned artists volunteered their skills on the homefront, creating compelling and beautiful posters promoting the war effort. From patriotic images of Uncle Sam to stirring calls to arms, food rationing and the purchase of liberty bonds, these posters help us better understand the dedication of Americans in support of the war during very uncertain times.

The Alabama Department of Archives and History houses one of the most extensive and well-preserved WWI poster collections in the nation. The collection is rich with iconic, celebrated works but also contains an assortment of relatively obscure posters which have not been reproduced widely, if at all. During and immediately after the war, Archives’ founding director Thomas McAdory Owen actively collected posters and other war-related materials. Additional posters joined the collection shortly after the completion of the Archives building in 1940.

In January 2017, the Archives made approximately 100 World War I posters available online in its digital archives. These colorful, striking graphics and their fascinating patriotic symbolism can now be appreciated by anyone with an internet connection. Copies of the posters can also be downloaded at no charge from the site. The Archives plans to begin making other posters from its collection (including those from other wars and events) available online in the future.

To view and search the posters, visit www.digital.archives.alabama.gov and scroll down to “Alabama Posters Collection.”