Art of War Goes on Display in Easton

If you grew up in the 1980s, you might remember the commercial where a medieval knight morphs into a modern marine.

In the first half of the 20th century, when the United States fought two world wars, ads for the military were even more dramatic.

You can get a glimpse of some of that advertising starting Saturday with theSigal Museum's "Liberty Called and Northampton County Answered."

The new exhibit features 48 World War I and World War II propaganda posters from the Northampton County Historical & Geneological Society's collection.

Sigal director Barbara Kowitz said the posters show how all-encompassing the wars were.

"The war was being fought on all fronts," Kowtiz said. "Everybody had a job."
Some were addressed to the troops—or potential troops—but others called people on the home front to make sacrifices, whether that meant not traveling or saving waste fats.

While the posters were produced nationwide, the exhibit also features local war artifacts: letters and newspaper clippings, along with old uniforms.

But the star of the "Liberty Called" is the posters, which are beautifully rendered, even when they're problematics. (One poster's depiction of Japan's Hideki Tojo makes Mickey Rooney's Breakfast at Tiffany's character seem sensitive.)

"The most incredible ad men ever were pulled to do these," Kowitz said. 
"Liberty Called" will open Saturday, and runs through November. There is an opening reception scheduled from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

To see more posters and commentary, check out history blogger Kyle Jones' latest entry.