“For Your Boy” was one of many posters issued during World War I to encourage support of the war. This poster was commissioned by the YMCA for the United War Work Campaign that ran from November 11 – 18 in 1918. According to researcher Michelle Ule, during WW1 the YMCA provided for 90% of the general welfare, with the help of 26,000 paid workers and 35,000 volunteers to American troops numbering over 4 million. They provided entertainment for the troops and managed the U.S. mail, helping soldiers write letters to loved ones. They also provided morale boosters with religious activities and even set up roller skating rinks. They also provided coffee, tea, donuts, and cigarettes at mobile canteens, where soldiers from the front lines could come a relax and recover. The poster was designed in 1918 by Arthur William Brown, a Canadian artist who often illustrated for the Saturday Evening Post. This poster was created and reproduced as a offset lithograph at the time of its distribution.
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