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Exhibition Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I

Winold Reiss. Charity Bazar [sic] for the Widows and Orphans of German, Austrian, Hungarian and Their Allied Soldiers. New York: Hegeman Print, 1916. Lithograph. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (012.00.00)
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Allegiance to the Homeland

Artist Winold Reiss, who emigrated from Germany in 1913, created this poster to promote a twelve-day charity event in New York City's Madison Square Garden for the benefit of the widows and orphans of the Central Powers. The bazaar opened on March 11, 1916, and featured booths representing German wartime and peacetime industries including a popular showcase for Zeppelin technology. One of the bazaar's organizers told the New York Times: "I think that there is no one in this country who can accuse us of disloyalty if we feel sympathy first for the country of our birth, so long as the United States is not directly involved." With three days to run, it was reported that the organizers had raised $500,000 and expected proceeds to exceed $750,000.