Four Years in the Fight. The Women of France, We Owe Them Houses of Cheer". WWI Art Poster

New York: Strobridge Lith. Co., 1918. Good + condition. A striking large color lithographed WWI poster promoting the wartime work carried out by French women, the United War Work Campaign and the YMCA-YWCA, the graphics by Lucien Jonas.

Jonas (1880 - 1947) is noted as one of the great French WWI artists. He worked for the Musee de l'Armee in Paris as an official military painter, and traveled to the front drawing eye witness images of the action.

The image depicts three French women, their hair bound up in caps, hard at work in a French foundry, two of them pouring molten metal, the third forging a piece of machinery. This was all traditionally men's work; women for the first time were able to work in a male dominated industry, and would win the right to vote the next year.

A large window allows a view of the street, and a building opposite, marked "Foyer Des Alliees", which is flying American and French flags. Printed signature L. Jonas, in the image at the lower right.

28 in. x 42 in. Short closed tears to top edge; slight fox spotting along bottom edge. Poster has not been laid down and is in its original state. OCLC: 51136875 records two copies, at Brown University and the Library of Congress.