Lot 566: Can the Kaiser. 1918.

Can the Kaiser. 1918."When asked what part food would play in the war, [Belgian relief director Herbert] Hoover told the president that 'second only to military action it was the dominant factor' . . . The generosity and compassion of the American people and the great agricultural resources of the North American continent . . . would be called upon . . . Twenty million Americans signed pledges of membership in the Food Administration, which obligated them to conserve scarce food so that our Allies in Europe would not have to go hungry" (Rawls, pp. 112-115). In support of the National War Garden Commission, Verrees created this outrageous, amusing design-amusing, that is, if you're on the Allied side and not of Germanic decent, otherwise it probably strikes you in the same manner as all other propaganda-which uses clever wordplay and a preserved, dour Kaiser Wilhelm II to encourage the American public to can fruits and vegetables. This second printing of the poster was created after the outcome of the global conflict had become eminent, but relies on a healthy dollop of vigilant paranoia to assure that the preservation effort remains an ongoing initiative. Verrees was born in Belgium and came to the U.S. in 1909; his "Join the Air Service" (see PAI-XLIII, 58) poster is considered one of his finest, and one of the best aviation posters ever designed anywhere.
J. PAUL VERREES (1889-1942)

14 x 21 1/8 in./35.5 x 53.6 cm

1918.0

B/ Slight tears and creases, largely at edges.