|
|
 |
Title: Gasless Sundays Keep These Going
|
Description: This poster shows a cartoon depiction of the power of the American war effort: U.S. troops advance by land and air to crush the foe, the Central Powers figures in the upper left look ridiculous, shouting out in comical, stereotypical accented English, and while not pictured, millions on the home front, sacrificing gasoline to keep win the war. The circumstances requiring this sacrifice arose in the summer of 1918. Even during peacetime, gasoline consumption traditionally peaked in the United States in the summer months. With America fully in the war in Europe, gasoline needs were even greater and producers struggled to keep up with demand. Therefore, the Fuel Administration (created by the Food and Fuel Control Law of August 10, 1917) requested that all American citizens east of the Mississippi, from August of 1918 onwards, cease operating motor vehicles (with some exceptions) on Sundays. Although the effort began with those citizens in the eastern United States, the Fuel Administration had plans to call on citizens in the west as well, although, in the end, this did not prove to be necessary. The Fuel Administration appealed to American patriotism and the desire of people to help with the war effort. Although there were legal means of enforcement available, they were not utilized, as voluntary compliance yielded successful results. Millions of gallons of gasoline were saved and thus made available to the war effort.The poster shows the viewer several types of vehicle that would benefit from “Gasless Sundays,” from tanks to medical transports to airplanes. The airplane shown appears to be either a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” or Standard J-1 biplane, both of which were used as trainers during the war by the American military. The insignia shown on the airplane—the stars within circles—was actually retired soon after the U.S. entered the war, because pilots often mis-identified this U.S.insignia as German. Roundels were thus employed, although the star and circle insignia was painted on aircraft remaining in America. Confusingly, this airplane has tail striping corresponding to the revised insignia that used roundels, with blue on the trailing edge, although the star-in-circle insignia actually employed a red strip on the trailing edge. The artist’s potential confusion only echoed reality, however, as aircraft often had a mix of insignia, with standardization not always succeeding. The poster’s artist depicts the Central Powers characters as hapless and incompetent. They run and hide from the onslaught of American military might. Although America’s entry into the war certainly helped turn the tide against Germany and its allies, this poster’s illustration uses humor rather than reality to convey its propagandistic message. Perhaps the artist opted for a lighter presentation because the poster also served as an advertisement for the New Process Electro Corporation. The poster encourages the viewer to “do your part” in the effort to conserve gasoline. Like others in this series, this poster might have hung in offices or other similar public areas, where the comic-book like images and amusing text would engage and entertain workers and passersby, but would still inspire them to take the message to heart and act accordingly. |
|
|
|
|
