The Washington State History Museum next month will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I by opening Seeds of Victory: Posters of the Great War, a comprehensive collection of wartime propaganda posters, owned by private collectors Jim and Sheron Givan.

These beautiful illustrations inspired Americans to enlist in the military, volunteer for the war effort, buy liberty bonds, conserve food, grow gardens, and home can their harvest. They were instrumental in maintaining morale and strengthening the home front. The illustrators became icons in their field, and the images are examples of how successful orchestrated messaging can be.

“U.S. involvement in World War I required support from the home front to be successful,” explains Jennifer Kilmer, Director of the Washington State Historical Society. “The posters of World War I were effective because they tapped into emotions such as duty, honor, fear, and pride. They were as compelling then as television and social media are today.”

Opening day of Seeds of Victory will be held on Sat., Aug. 16, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., at the Washington State History Museum, located at 1911 Pacific Ave., in downtown Tacoma. The event will include gallery tours lead by the collector, a military band, a flag ceremony, World War I re-enactors, activities and crafts for the family, and a display of World War I-era weaponry. Active duty, reserve, and guard military service members and up to five members of their family will receive free admission as part of the Blue Star Museum program.

Other museums and organizations will sponsor activities up and down Pacific Avenue that day until the start of the Celebrate Military Service Parade, which begins at 5 p.m. with a concert in Tollefson Plaza and the start of the parade at 6 p.m.

More information is available online here.