Sugar Means Ships

Artist Ernest Fuhr United States, 1874 - 1933

Printer The Carey Printing Company, New York United States

Date1917

Dimensions15 x 18 3/4 in. (38.1 x 47.6 cm)

ClassificationsPoster

Credit LineGift of Peter A. Blatz

Terms

Object numberPH.185

DescriptionThis illustrated poster was issued by the United States Food Administration in 1917 as part of one of many of its campaigns to encourage Americans to change their eating habits during World War I in the interests of the war effort. Here, Ernst Fuhr attempts to shame viewers for their indulgence in the sweetened drinks whose vast quantities of imported sugar diverted ships needed for the transport of men and military supplies. This is very literally represented by the well-dressed urban woman who selfishly slurps her drink through a straw, thus trapping the small supply ships marked “arms” supplies” and “soldiers” in a vortex, while a soldier seen on the opposite shore approaching the billowing smoke of “WAR” desperately signals for help. Fuhr was an American painter and illustrator; like many of the artists who went on to illustrate wartime posters for U.S. government agencies, he had established his career as an illustrator for various publications, in his case newspapers like the New York Herald and the New York World as well as popular magazines like LIFE. This is probably his best-known poster and appears to be a proof edition before publication. In later versions, he added red coloring to areas of the image and lettering, and “No. 114” appears at lower left.

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