We honour Remembrance Day with WW1 Canadian vintage military posters

On Remembrance Day we respectfully pause to reflect on the sacrifice of the military, their families, the victims, casualties and society as a whole made during War.

"If ye break faith, we shall not sleep : buy victory bonds"

Toronto Public Library has a large collection of vintage WWI posters at the Toronto Reference Library Special Collections Department. Many are available online as part of the digital archive. A selection have been posted to our pinterest page.

I want to highlight posters showing two aspects of World War I:

recruitment, an issue all during the war, but especially towards the end

home front sacrifice and efforts

The poster was a key communication tool in the time before the Internet, cell phones, television, the movies and even radio. It served to inform, exhort and sway - it was an important propaganda tool.