Poster “8. Kriegsanleihe”, May 1918

War bonds were a major source of income for all states involved in the war. Austria issued a total of eight war bonds, which yielded a return of 33 billion Kronen. Each edition of the war bonds was accompanied by extensive propaganda to convince the home front to support the war. Aggressive appeals were made to the people’s patriotism and financial incentives were offered, promising high profits from interest if the war was won. On the other hand, a defeat—which of course is what happened in 1918—would mean there was a substantial risk of the government not being able to pay back the loan. Many families lost all their assets this way. Julius Klinger (1876–1942) had been one of the most influential German poster artists before the First World War and after 1916 he became one of the most important figures in the renewal of Austrian poster art. Although today he is largely forgotten, his poster motifs were very well known. On the poster for the eighth war bond, a dragon pierced by arrows winds around the red number “8,” suggesting that in the time of greatest need, it is still important to get involved.

SK, 2019