Illian, George

L'Italia Ha Bisogno Di Carne-Frumento-Grasso & Zucchero WWI Poster

Softcover, Brooklyn, New York: Latham Litho and Printing Company, 1917. Very Good+. Original American WWI poster, not a copy. Art by George Illian. In Italian, to be posted in Italian neighborhoods in New York City in 1917. The Library of Congress translation of this poster's title is "Italy has need of meat, wheat, fat, and sugar." The LOC doesn't list a translation of the rest of the poster, my probably not-so-great translation is "Eat little of this food because it has to go to our people and the troops of Italy." This is a poster supporting the United States Food Administration (Amministrazione Dei Cibi Statie Uniti) that was run by Herbert Hoover and used a combination of coercion and persuasion to reduce US domestic consumption of food while seriously increasing food production - resulting in a tripling of food exports to a war ravaged Europe. In contrast, the Allied naval blockade of Germany caused food shortages among the German military and civilians. This poster's artwork shows an Italian officer. Italy initially was an ally of Germany, but refused to fight when war broke out in 1914. In 1915, Italy joined the war on the side of France, Great Britain, and Russia, and therefore the US (when the US joined the war in 1917). [Item #59554]

Price: $250.00