American Red Cross

Almost one-third of the U.S. population contributed to the Red Cross as volunteers or donors, with a staggering $400 million in funds and material raised in support of its programs at home and abroad. This monumental poster titled "The Greatest Mother in the World," makes a clear visual connection to Christian imagery in which the Virgin Mary cradles the figure of Christ in her lap. According to the Committee on Public Information, the image "appeared in newspapers, magazines, and posters with greater repetition and force than any other advertisement for any phase of Government endeavor since the war began."