Blood or Bread

Conserving resources on the homefront during World War I.

Others are giving their blood You will shorten the war – save life if you eat only what you need, and waste nothing.

This striking World War I propaganda poster was illustrated by Henry Raleigh in 1917 for the U.S. Food Administration. It depicts a dramatic and emotive scene of the ongoing global conflict, featuring a shirtless soldier struggling to carry a wounded comrade across a bleak, smoke-filled battlefield. The wounded soldier appears limp, while the other looks towards the sky with an expression of desperation. In the background, a cannon emits smoke, further emphasizing the harshness and grim realities of war.

The image was designed to encourage the American audience to conserve domestic food resources on the homefront. Significant increases in grain exports meant the availability of meat was limited and changing consumption habits were necessary to accommodate wartime shortages. The nation’s abundance was needed overseas.