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Recruiting Women For The United War Campaign
In the waning days of the Great War, November 1918, this striking poster emerged as a visual homage to the homefront efforts aiding soldiers abroad. Crafted by artist George Mather Richards and published by the Sackett & Wilhelms Corporation of New York, this image served as a call for continuing support during the United War Work Campaign, sponsored by the Salvation Army. The campaign's purpose was to garner donations and inspire more women to join the ranks of the Salvation Army as the conflict neared its end.
At the center of the poster, a young, beaming woman, clad in Salvation Army attire, is depicted delivering a tray brimming with doughnuts, standing behind a jubilant soldier who gestures towards her in a display of gratitude, mid-bite into a doughnut. This imagery was designed to emphasize the crucial support roles played by the Salvation Army Lassies, ranging from cooking and providing nourishment to offering spiritual solace and keeping the soldiers connected to their families through correspondence.
Approximately 250 volunteers from the Salvation Army were deployed overseas in 1917, establishing outposts close to the front lines in France to minister to the needs of American troops and their allies. These outposts became bastions of comfort, where the Lassies would serve steaming cups of coffee and freshly fried doughnuts from soldiers' helmets, a gesture that affectionately earned them the moniker "Doughnut Lassies."
The poster radiates with the sentiment of care and service embodied by the Lassies' war work, a sentiment that not only bolstered the Salvation Army's standing during World War I but also paved the way for their continued presence and assistance in the subsequent global conflict of World War II. It stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of support and generosity that punctuated the homefront's contribution to the war effort.
![(San Diego -- WWI Panoramic Photograph) Camp Kearny. Co. M. 158th Infantry [World War I panoramic group portrait of U.S. Army Infantryman at Camp Kearny, San Diego]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/91707.jpg)
