Cartoons, Drawings & Recruiting Posters

"...When Britain declared war on Germany in Aug of 1914, its dominions, including Canada, were obliged to join the war effort. Initially Canada relied on voluntary enlistment, and many English-speaking Canadians eagerly enlisted. But French-Canadians did not feel the same loyalty to Britain. Furthermore, relations between French- and English-speaking Canadians were difficult, with one leading French-Canadian politician claiming that the “enemies of the French language, of French civilization in Canada are not the Boches [the Germans] . . . but the English-Canadian anglicizers.” Many French-Canadians also felt isolated from Britain’s ally, France, which had effectively ignored French-Canada for generations. Nonetheless, this French-Canadian recruitment poster appeals to latent loyalties to the “mother country” by depicting a French and French-Canadian soldier in warm embrace. The text reminds the viewer that “the heart of France bleeds” and “the voice of blood speaks,” while also mentioning recent battles in St. Julien and Festubert, France, in the spring of 1915. In spite of such appeals only four percent of Canadian volunteers were French-Canadian..."

Posted by: @louis

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A 1915 political cartoon about the USA neutrality in WW1.

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An American Pit Bull?  Yeah, I wouldn't be too afraid either...

American cartoon published after the outbreak of the war, Aug 1914.

“Gripped with fear, Hitler’s horde is counting day after day. 1943 will wipe them from the face of the earth.”

Newspaper cartoon from early 1917 of the Chicago Tribune. Which will come first--America entering the war or U-boats choking off vital food and armaments?

The poster was used during WW1 (1915) by authorities to remind people to be on their guard and to stay vigilant and report anything suspicious. Archives New Zealand.

"The Tourniquet” (1918). Each stretcher bearer, each officer, each man — if possible — was expected to know how to apply a tourniquet. In the WW1, uncontrolled hemorrhage was one of the leading causes of preventable death on the battlefield. The tourniquet — controversial, imperfect, sometimes limb-sacrificing — often meant the difference between life and death.

“Man the Guns — Join the Navy” (1942) captures that classic wartime energy — bold, powerful, and all about strength, machinery, and answering the call to serve. ⚓🇺🇸🪖🔥

I've always liked this drawing.

Recruiting Officer (1917) by Norman Rockwell was the cover of the Saturday Evening Post of June 16.
This painting was made during WW1 and is also known as Necessary Height. It shows two boys pretending a recruitment for the army. The boy on the left is the recruiting officer, with a self-made recruiting poster behind him. Unfortunately, the boy on the right is not 5 feet yet, so he will have to be rejected.

Created in 1916 by French artist Jules-Abel Faivre, “On les aura! 2e Emprunt de la Défense Nationale — Souscrivez!” urged French citizens to buy war bonds to support the army during World War I. The poster shows a determined French soldier advancing with his bayonet over a fallen German, symbolizing confidence in eventual victory if the nation backed the war effort.