| “VICTORY WITH ARMS NEEDS MACHINES ON FARMS”: EXTREMELY RARE WWI POSTER WITH AN EAGLE PERCHED ON A TRACTOR & A TERRIFIC SLOGAN |
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| Web ID: | pat-799 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | 23.75" x 29.25" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 13.25" x 18.5" |
| Description: | |
| WWII poster, printed on paper board, pleading for aid in the way of tractors and farm machinery to feed both troops and average Americans. During wartime, The demand for almost every agricultural product increased. Production of labor-intensive crops especially, such as corn, beans, sugar beets, etc., declined in the face of so many hands funneled to other tasks by way of not only the draft and enlistments, but by factory jobs at increase wages. America met the need via increased use of machinery, rising to the challenge implored for in this message. The simplistic graphics here are undoubtedly wonderful, as are the fire red and cornflower blue colors, and the “V” for “Victory,” mirrored in the “A” of “Arms,” but arguably the best element is the combination of the American eagle and tractor. Of equal or perhaps even greater impact is the incredibly endearing slogan: “Victory with Arms Needs Machines on Farms.” Although there is ample record of the push for this wartime drive in newspapers, beginning in 1942, I have never before seen this poster, nor can I find any record of it whatsoever. Along the lower edge, separated by red stars, are the words “Extension Service,” “New York State College of Agriculture,” and “Consult Your County Agent.” The Morrill act was passed during the first Lincoln administration, by the United States Congress, in 1862, the second year of the Civil War. This created the Land Grant University system, which providing large tracts of land and federal funds so that working class citizens could have equal access to higher education, with a focus on farming and mechanical skills. Push-back from highbrow academia slowly subsided with the growing realization of how important the world of science and other academic fields were to agriculture and its impact on national well-being, in aspects ranging from health, to the economy, to the unique demands of war. Lack of regular communication between academia and the farming community led to poor dissemination of academic research, in a manner that the average farmer could put to use. This led to the creation of another act of Congress in 1914, which created something called Cooperative Extension, the purpose which was to get the latest technology in the hands of farmers and/or any other average American or business that required assistance in related matters (fertilizer, pest control, food preparation, home/farm economics, etc.) This was typically organized at the county level in any given state, administered through the respective Land Grant school. [The 2008 Farm Bill renamed the federal office of Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, now called the National Institute of Food & Agriculture.] Mounting: The two-part frame consists of a red painted, ogee profile molding of the 1830-1850 period (approximately 100 years older than the poster), with exceptional, early surface, to which a modern, black-painted shadowbox molding made of oak, with attractive graining and a stain, black-painted surface, was added as a cap. The 12-ply, 100% cotton mat has a beveled edge and is covered with 100% cotton twill, black in color, that was washed and treated for colorfastness. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Condition: There is a water stain in the lower left. There is some foxing and there is minor oxidation throughout. There are cracks in the paper board, including one extending from “Machines” downward, to the right edge, a much smaller one in the tractor, and a small one extending upward through the “A’ of Agriculture. There are bumps and imperfections along the edge. The great rarity of this wonderful poster well-warrants the condition. |
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| Video: | |
| Collector Level: | Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts |
| Flag Type: | |
| Star Count: | |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1942 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1945 |
| State/Affiliation: | New York |
| War Association: | WW 2 |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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