Prestito/Credito Italiano
Artist
Luciano Achille Mauzan
France, 1883 - 1952
Artist
G. Ricordi & C. Milano
Italy
Date1917
Dimensions55 x 39 in. (139.7 x 99.1 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LineGift of Peter A. Blatz
Object numberPH.160
DescriptionIn a poster urging Italians to support the government’s fourth national loan (of five) during World War I, an Italian infantryman stares directly at the viewer, his left arm extended in appeal to “Do your whole duty!” while a shadowy line of troops marches in the background against clouds of explosions. Notably, unlike the related pointing figures of Uncle Sam and Lord Kitchener, he is just an ordinary soldier. This poster was printed in a huge version some 30 meters square and pasted on the façades of public buildings in Italian towns. There was also a smaller version featuring only the head, shoulders, and pointing finger of the same solider. The French-born Mauzan began working in Italy in 1905 as an illustrator, going on to design some 1,500 posters for the nascent film industry in Turin. This poster was produced by Ricordi of Milan, a music publisher for which Mauzan worked between 1912 and 1917, clearly loaning him out to design images like this one to assist the war effort.On View
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