Beautiful New Poster Series from the American Battle Monuments Commission

Our recent article on the Somme American Cemetery has drawn a number of inquiries about the beautiful poster for the cemetery that I included in the presentation. This is from a new series of posters from the American Battle Monuments Commission. As part of the centennial of the founding of the commission, they have produced a comprehensive series of vintage-style works of art commemorating all its cemeteries.  The project was inspired by the Federal Art project that the government released after the Great Depression to promote its parks and showcase landscapes that belonged to the American people.

These vintage works were designed by French artist DOZ, whose touch is inspired by famous photographers from the 1950s who made a point in capturing joyful, lighthearted moments of daily life. Included in the series are posters for all the World War I cemeteries and major monuments.  Shown here are four of the 12 posters covering  the First World War.

DOZ developed these posters using his neo-retro style characterized by the use of bright colors that give a contemporaneous feeling to the design. Usually contracted to create designs for tourist towns in France and abroad, designing posters of commemorative sites was a first and a challenge for the artist. He said it was important for him to not create somber designs, but instead to convey the beauty of the sites, depicting them as testimonies of peace.

At this time, the commission is not offering printed versions of the posters, but the high-resolution printing file for each poster is viewable and available for download HERE.  Please note that the posters are copyrighted and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.