"What Can You Do?" Red Cross WWI Home Front Poster (c. 1919)

Red Cross Membership drive poster, showing a Red Cross nurse helping a wounded soldier and a mother and children. Even though the poster states explicitly that no field service was required, probably also served to entice women to join the Red Cross as nurses, showing a proud, capable woman doing her part for the war effort. The older child looks up to the nurse with admiration. An exceptional example of amazing graphic design.

During World War I, many women risked their lives to care for troops and took on active roles, as depicted in this poster seeking contributions for war relief efforts. Although women were still denied the right to vote, the government allowed them to serve in limited roles, ranging from dietitian to telephone operator. But the majority of women service members—more than 23,000 over the course of the war—were nurses. The government refused to grant American military nurses permanent commissioned rank and its accompanying benefits until after World War II.