WWI 1918 Feed A Fighter Original Strobridge Poster Wallace Morgan Drawing

This original 1918 poster (21" x 29") depicts a World War I soldier hunkering in a cold, flooded trench on the battlefield. He clutches a cup of warm beverage, just delivered to him by the person who is walking now to the other soldiers awaiting their share. "Feed a Fighter" was created by artist Wallace Morgan in 1918 in the midst of both World War I and a global food shortage.

It was commissioned by the United States Food Administration specifically to encourage citizens to preserve food by adhering to "ration days" so that more food could be sent to the soldiers. Printed by The Strobridge Lithographing Company, founded in 1847 in Cincinnati, Ohio. A free hand artist, he never used photography.

As he put it: I'll be damned if I'll use a camera. Besides, they never do me justice. Selected as one of the official war artists, he was commissioned an army captain in March 1918 and landed in France a month later. During his year in France, he attached himself to the Marine Brigade, which he followed into Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood.

His free style of drawing depicted the human condition with a spontaneity and zest that brought movement and life to even a quiet scene. Considered one of the best artists in black and white of his time, Morgan was often referred to as the dean of American Illustrators. He was elected to the National Academy of Design and to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame.

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