The Paper Front: Canadian Wartime Posters (1914-1943)

I am not a fan of war, or even countries. I am cursed, though, to have an illustrator’s eyes and a historian’s interest in events, and so you find in front of you 35 Canadian WWI and WWII-era posters from the McGill Libraries' Rare Books and Special Collections in my home city of Montréal. I present them to you not with enthusiasm for bloodshed or nationalism, but with affection for that determined little little beaver guy, his cigar-smoking lion friend, and the skill involved in making them. Oh, I suggest you read up on Canada's Wartime Information Board right here. 

In this collection:

1. “Big Guns of the Home Front”
print by Leslie J. Trevor (1941)

2. “L’Artillerie du Front Industriel”
print by Leslie J. Trevor (1941)

3. “To Victory”
print by Richard C. Wilcox (1941)

4. “Lick Them Over There!”
print by Albert Chartier (1939)

5. “Think! Freedom or Slavery?”
print by Gwen Fremlin (1941)

6. “To You the Torch is Thrown”
print by Joseph Ernest Sampson (1941)

7. “Let’s Go… Canada!”
print by Henry Eveleigh (1939)

8. “Allons-y… Canadiens!”
print by Henry Eveleigh (1939)

9. “Attack on All Fronts!”
print by Hubert Rogers (1943)

10. “Attaque Sur Tous Les Fronts!”
print by Hubert Rogers (1943)

11. “When Troops Move Keep Tongues Still!”
print (1939)

12. “On S'Embarque en Secret” print (1939)

13. “McGill Auxiliary Battalion”
print by the Gazette Printing Co. (1916)

14. “4 Reasons for Buying Victory Bonds”
print (1914)

15. “Keep All Canadians Busy” print (1918)

16. “The Call—The Answer!”
print by Alex (1939)

17. “Buy Victory Bonds: Invest & Protect”
print by Franklin Arbuckle (1939)

18. “Notre Armée” print (1941)

19. "Whatever Your Job May Be: Fight"
print by Eric Aldwinckle (1939)

20. "Come On Canada!" 
print by Hubert Rogers (1942)

21. "Il Faut Exporter: Souscrivons 
à L'Emprunt de la Victoire"
print by Arthur Keelor (1914)

22. "Faites Votre Devoir" print (1941)

23. "Canadians Alert: Come on Canada!"
print by Archibald Bruce Stapleton (1939)

24. "L'ennemi est à Nos Portes! Alerte! "
print by Archibald Bruce Stapleton (1939)

25. "148th Overseas Battalion: Now Recruiting"
print by Percy E. Nobbs (1915)

26. "Shoptalk May Be
Sabotalk: the Walls Have Ears" 
print by Morris (1943) 

27. "À L'Ouvre: C'est Notre Guerre" 
print by Eric Aldwinkle (1939)

28. "It's Our War"
print by Eric Aldwinkle (1939)

29. "Help Our District Win this Flag" print (1918)

30. "Gangway: Buy Victory Bonds"
print by Joseph Ernest Sampson (1939)

31. "Beware: the Walls Have Ears" print (1939)

32. "Citizen-Soldier" print (1939)

33. "Beware: Spreading Vital Information 
Will Undermine Our War Effort"
print (1939)

34. "Méfiez-Vous: Révéler Toute 
Information de Guerre C'est Servir L'Ennemi"
print (1939)

35. "The Non-Commissioned Officer 
is the Backbone of the Canadian Army"
print (1916)

Each reproduction is available in two different sizes on Epson Enhanced Matte 192 gsm paper printed with Epson UltraChrome XD2 archival ink. Sold in an open edition, unframed.