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World War I Propaganda (Boston Public Safety Committee, 1915). Recruitment Poster (23.5" X 32.75") "Enlist," Fred Spear Artw...
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World War I Propaganda (Boston Public Safety Committee, 1915). Recruitment Poster (23.5" X 32.75") "Enlist," Fred Spear Artwork.As beautiful as it is tragic, this haunting piece once found its home in the collection of Col. Edward H. McCrahon. World War I collectors should know the name well, as McCrahon accumulated an astounding 3,000 propaganda posters during the 1920s and 1930s. We can definitively claim that it once belonged to McCrahon's famous collection as his initials "E. H. McC" are written on the verso of the poster, although this is no longer visible to the naked eye after linenbacking. By far his most famous work, Fred Spear's ghostly illustration invokes one of the greatest tragedies of World War I: the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. In an unprecedented attack, nearly 1,200 passengers met their end in the frigid waters of the Atlantic after a German U-boat caught the civilian ocean liner in its sights. 128 of those unfortunate travelers were American, and the sinking became a rallying cry for the U.S. to officially enter into the European conflict. The ethereal effect of Spear's image is just as impactful as it was in 1915, with touchup only applied at the poster's folds. It has suffered no wear in the interior, however, its borders were once trimmed, a common practice of early poster collectors. They have been replaced with impressive skill, done so neatly that it is almost impossible to differentiate where the paper ends and restoration begins. Fine+ on Linen.
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