Poster, 'Back him up!'

This First World War poster was created by the Victory Loan Dominion Publicity Committee to urge the Canadian public to buy 'Victory' war bonds. The Victory Loan campaign ran from 28 October to 16 November 1918, and featured many such posters.

War bonds were debt securities issued by various governments to finance their military operations and other expenses during the First and Second World Wars.

Facing fire

This public appeal for funds features the depiction of a Canadian soldier with his back to the viewer, poised for action. His stance puts the viewer into his shoes and his facelessness reinforces the notion of the war being everyone's war. This is reinforced by the legend, 'Back Him Up!' The expressionistic background suggests bombing explosions in the distance.

International War Posters in New Zealand

This item is part of a collection of First World War posters sent to New Zealand as examples of British, Canadian and American propaganda. From 1917-1919, the Dominion Museum (now Te Papa) collected such war material with the help of the New Zealand High Commissioner in London and the Department of Defence.

The museum intended to collect and display such objects in a planned national war museum in Wellington which never eventuated. Instead, the museum toured over 100 war posters around New Zealand in the early 1920s in the context of increasing commemoration of the war during peacetime. For many, the posters illustrated important aspects of the war and the history of New Zealand's part in the war. This commemorative function was far removed from their original function to encourage wartime contribution.