Femininity in Propaganda: "Enlist" by Fred Spear

Maurice Rickards, the author of Posters of the First World War, states that Enlist (1915), by Fred Spear, is "perhaps the most powerful of all war posters" (Selected Graphic Images). The artwork is based off of one of America’s most heartbreaking moments—the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. Despite several warnings from newspapers and telegrams of the dangers of the “European War Zone”, Captain W.T. Turner sailed the Lusitania from New York City to Liverpool, England with goods to aid the British in World War I. The U.S. was currently neutral in the war; nevertheless, they were to be victims of attack from the Germans. Off the coast of Ireland, a German submarine fired a torpedo at the British ocean liner. At 2:10 on May 7, 1915 over 1,000 innocent people were killed by the attack, including hundreds of American passengers (EyeWitness to History). Although the U.S. did not officially join World War I until two years after the incident, the sinking was one factor that led to their involvement. The event was an unforgettable catastrophe and resulted in propaganda from both sides of the disaster: the Germans declaring the presence of weapons on the ocean liner in the form of a medallion and the U.S. using the sinking to persuade men to join the war efforts (Kerr).

The woman in Spear’s Enlist is very feminine, even though it was created during war. In the center of the work, a woman and child sink after the destruction of the Lusitania. The mother cradles her young baby, as if to protect it, as she sinks deeper and deeper into the water. Her hair is long and elegant, almost blending into the artist’s water strokes. A white dress is draped over; this dress represents the purity, innocence, and femininity of the woman and the child. From the woman’s face, one can tell that she does not struggle to live but submits to the violence of war inflicted upon her and accepts her death with a peaceful expression. Aside from this focus of femininity in the painting, the poster is a dark, mossy green, giving the artwork a depressing tone. Due to the dying woman and child, the word 'enlist' makes men feel responsible for the protection of the "weak" from the dangers of war.

Enlist displays the female gender as strictly feminine. Although this piece was during a time in which women could potentially join the war efforts, Spear does not portray this message in his propaganda. The woman is vulnerable and lacks any sign of strength. Through this, Spear makes clear that women are not meant to fight in war. Compared to the masculine women in Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter and Orlando Valenzuela’s Miliciana de Waswalito, this painting’s message is very different. This poster portrays women as having a completely different purpose in life. Females are not mean to join war, but are defenseless victims to the enemy in war. In this specific painting, Spear makes a woman the target of abuse and harm, and the artist uses a woman to appeal to men to enlist in the military.

"Captain Turner" Lusitania Online. 10 May 2011

<http://www.lusitania.net/>.

“Enlist by Fred Spear” English.emory 10 May 2011

<http://www.english.emory.edu/LostPoets/Enlist.html>.

Kerr, Stephen T. “Selected Graphic Images” Washington. 30 April 2011

<http://faculty.washington.edu/stkerr/graphics.html>.

Introduction

Artists use propaganda to influence viewers’ feelings and beliefs on a specific subject. In this blog, you will discover and learn about the theme—femininity of women expressed through propaganda during times of war. Within this category, women are represented in two different ways: some artists have a feminine approach and value the traditional duties of women in war, whereas other images exhibit women as powerful and capable of taking over a man’s profession. Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell, Miliciana de Waswalito by Orlando Valenzuela, Enlist by Fred Spear, Destroy this Mad Brute—Enlist by H.R. Hopps, and Keep These Hands Off by Gordon K. Odwell all follow the relative norms of society to convey the artists' view on women's femininity.

Link to "Female Roles Through Art"

Camille’s blog “Female Roles Through Art” explores the progression of female roles in society from the washhouse to the work force. The blog fights the typical stereotypes on women and shows the strength and power of the female gender. This blog relates to “Femininity in Propaganda” because femininity is relative to women’s roles.

The first artwork in the her blog, The Washer Women by Abram Efimovich Arkhipov, was painted in 1899 and therefore the women in the image were portrayed as feminine. The women are working in the washhouse, as they are only allowed to do traditional work. This is similar to Enlist by Fred Spear and Keep These Hands Off by Gordon K. Odell, two paintings whose primary focus is traditional work; however, instead of women working in the washhouse, the women are caring for children. Nevertheless, women’s roles of the time shaped the artists idea of how “feminine” a woman should be. The image Rosie the Riveter (1943) by Norman Rockwell was used in both blogs. In “Female Roles Through Art” the artwork is used to show the increase in women’s power; in other words, women are not seen as solely feminine, but are now accepted in a man’s profession. Women’s roles directly affect how feminine women will be viewed by artists and the outside world.

Link to "Women and Children in War"

This blog is very similar to Joy’s blog "Women and Children in War." "Women and Children in War" focuses on the people behind the scenes of war, those who are generally overseen due to their “inability” to fight: women and children. The artworks concentrate on the emotions of women and children, as well as a mother’s obligation to her children when the husband is at war. In "Femininity in War", three pieces also focus on a women’s duty to her children. The two blogs center on this single tradition of women—caring for children.

Enlist by Fred Spear is connected to a work in Joy’s blog—The Mothers by Kathe Kollwitz. In The Mothers, several women huddle together to protect their children from attack. The children remain underneath the protection of their mothers. This is related to the mother in Enlist, who cling to her young baby as they gradually sink to their death. The women only think about the safety of their children. The artists of both works show that despite the current war, the perpetual duty of a mother to her child still exists. The themes of the both blogs highlight the life of a mother, her will to do her work instead of joining the war and its continuous existence in times of war.

"Enlist" by Fred Spear

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