Strobridge Lithographing Company World War I "V Invest" Poster. V stands for Victory, so invest in war bonds! Reused in World War II, first printed in 1917. Framed.

Overall Size: 30 x 19 3/4 in. 

Sight Size: 29 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. 

#3571 #3 . 

The Strobridge Lithographing Company was an American maker of advertisement posters and lithographs founded in 1847 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company is named after Hines Strobridge who joined a stationery store in 1854 when it was known as Middleton, Wallace and Company, after its founding partners E. C. Middleton and W. R. Wallace. In 1859, the company changed its name to Middleton, Strobridge and Company, and Strobridge acquired full ownership after the American Civil War. He built the company’s first factory in 1884 on the Miami-Erie Canal in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine, expanding their catalog immensely. Strobridge lithographs later became a popular method of advertisement for circuses and theaters, with multiples for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circuses (and even more when they combined in 1919). Beginning in 1909 Strobridge was also employed by the American Tuberculosis Association to print Christmas Seals, which were sold at post offices to raise funding in the effort to contain tuberculosis. Their propaganda posters were very popular during both World Wars, and they often printed works without attribution, which allowed artists to contribute and make money during the turbulent Great Depression whether they were pacifist or not without fear of public exposure. The company continued in this capacity until 1958, when they went bankrupt in the wake of massive shifts in commercial advertising.

Torn on right side. Spotting.