Our good mule Industry" First in war--First in peace--First in prosperity." – Antique Wall Art
![Our good mule Industry" First in war--First in peace--First in prosperity.", [1917] — vintage poster](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/5a/5af5a944c1a6-L.webp)
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
A window into the past: Our good mule Industry" First in war--First in peace--First in prosperity.", preserved in this vintage poster. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.
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Our good mule Industry" First in war--First in peace--First in prosperity."
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A 1917 lithograph puts a mule at the center of its message, showing the animal working a treadmill to turn the wheels of industry. The slogan "First in war, first in peace, first in prosperity" borrows a phrase Henry Lee used to praise George Washington in 1799 and recasts it as a claim for American manufacturing. Printed the same year the United States entered the First World War, the poster reflects the wartime push to harness every factory and farm to the national effort. The mule, a patient and tireless worker, makes an unexpectedly plain emblem for that effort.
| Created / published | [1917] |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print (poster) : lithograph ; 63 x 47 cm. |
| Genre | War posters American 1910-1920.Lithographs 1910-1920. |
| Subjects | World War, 1914-1918--Economic & industrial aspects--United States. Industry--1910-1920. War work--1910-1920. Mules--1910-1920. Treadmills--1910-1920. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 3,747 × 4,652 px · prints to 12 × 16 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | 1122_Our_good_mule_Industry_1917 |
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