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

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

World War I Gardeners

Wright Enright [Barney]. War Gardens over the Top. The Seeds of Victory Insure the Fruits of Peace. Washington, D.C.: National War Garden Commission, 1919. Lithograph. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (071.00.00)
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World War I Gardeners

During World War I, Maginel Wright Enright was asked to design a series of posters for the United States School Garden Army, part of the National War Garden Commission. This nationwide campaign was launched in 1917 to increase the food supply and to stimulate interest in creating war gardens among the country's school children. Praising Enright's design, Secretary of the Interior Frederick Lane wrote, "I think it is a beautiful piece of work . . . I am sure a great many children will find their hearts stirred by the picture, and no older person can look at it without a thrill of loyalty and desire to do his part."