And They Thought We Couldn't Fight - Victory Liberty Loan
Clyde Forsythe
American, 1885–1962
c. 1917
A World War I lithograph poster urging Americans to buy Victory Liberty Loan bonds by presenting a triumphant, hard‑working soldier as proof of American fighting spirit.
What hits you first is the soldier’s broad, victorious grin and swagger—rifle with bayonet over his shoulder and extra helmets in his hand—set against a vibrating, painterly blue‑and‑orange sky that turns a battlefield into a dramatic stage.
This is a quintessential piece of wartime propaganda that translated individual heroism into civic duty, using mass‑produced graphic imagery to mobilize public funds and shape modern techniques of visual persuasion.
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
41 x 30 1/2" (104.1 x 77.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Given anonymously in memory of Mrs. Alice Lillia Newhall
Accession
156.1943
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
