This poster, “Lest They Perish,” was distributed during World War I to increase support for the Near East Relief charity, an organization focused on aiding those affected by the Armenian Genocide. The poster is an emotional illustration featuring a woman looking down with hands clasped and a baby on her back. She stands in front of ruins and smoke. Above her are the words in a white serif font, “Lest They Perish,” and in a bold black serif font below, "Campaign for $30,000,000,” with more information about the movement and whom the money is supporting. William B. King created works for both the NER and the Red Cross, but not many details are known about this particular artist.
The Armenian Genocide was the systematic killing of Armenian Christian people in the Ottoman Empire. Around 1.5 million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire, and around 1.2 million were killed due to the rise of nationalism (Holocaust Encyclopedia). Charity and missionary groups were aware of this tragedy and sent relief groups. To support this mission, they published advertisements like the “Lest They Perish” poster. Relief groups raised more than $100 million to provide aid to over 2 million Armenian refugees (University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts Holocaust and Genocide Studies).
The organization that this poster is advertising raised about $117,000,000 as well as provided food, clothing, and other essentials. Additionally, the organization helped provide shelter to about 150,000 Armenian orphans (Southern Adventist University World War I Poster Collection). Investigating the success of these charities, this poster demonstrates the power of visual communication and design to mobilize people for philanthropic purposes. By representing an illustrative scene, the viewer is able to connect with a group of people millions of miles away, while the typography provides information and a call to action.
The “Lest They Perish” poster demonstrates the importance of printing, as it allows for faster distribution of information and ideas. While this poster was produced with lithographic printing, no matter the method, printing changes the possibilities for impact within design. For example, in the History of Graphic Design, Wiley emphasizes that printing ended the clergy’s monopoly on literacy and created a new market for reading material (Wiley 6). So, the dissemination of information became more accessible to a wide variety of people. Printing allows for a wider audience and response to information.
Some may question the American portrayal of another culture, as some illustrations of identities have been harmful in the past, but this work gives voice to Armenian culture and is aimed at a positive, not harmful, end. According to the Middle East Research and Information Project, works that “orientalize” the Middle East or are concerned with presenting an exotic or romanticized image of culture in the Middle East are detached from actual geography and history. This poster does the opposite, referencing a current event, and is aimed toward freedom rather than oppression. Furthermore, portrayals of Armenians in the 19th century found on the Armenian History website can be compared. The illustration is obviously stylized but draws on real, traditional forms of dress. See this image from Armenian History:
Furthermore, descendants of the Armenians saved from the genocide, such as Ani Boyadjian in an article by the Los Angeles Public Library reflecting on this campaign, do not view this as a story of a white person stepping in to save the “other,” but rather a story of human generosity that transcends culture. She describes how the NER saved her two paternal grandparents (Los Angeles Public Library). Posters and campaigns displaying Armenian identity made this generosity possible.
Sources
https://cla.umn.edu/chgs/holocaust-genocide-education/resource-guides/armenia
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-armenian-genocide-1915-16-overview
https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/wwiposters/63/
https://www.lapl.org/news-stories/articles/america-we-thank-you
https://armenian-history.com/galleries/
