A Boy Scout kneels and lifts a sword to Liberty. In the spring of 1918 J. C. Leyendecker, already famous for his magazine covers, painted this image for the Boy Scouts of America’s part in the Third Liberty Loan. It turns the plain business of buying a government bond into something like a knighting ceremony, and it has become one of the best-loved American posters of the First World War.
What the poster shows
The Scout, in campaign hat, neckerchief and knee socks, holds up a broadsword whose blade is inscribed with the Scout motto, Be Prepared. Above him stands Liberty, her spiked crown recalling the Statue of Liberty, a star-covered cloak over red and white stripes, and a great bronze shield bearing the eagle of the Great Seal of the United States. Snowy mountains fall away behind them. The headline reads simply U.S.A. BONDS, and a stone tablet at the foot names the idea: WEAPONS FOR LIBERTY. Some printings carry extra lines naming the Third Liberty Loan Campaign and the Boy Scouts of America; the version restored here shows the headline and tablet alone.
The Scouts and the Third Liberty Loan
The United States paid for much of its war effort by selling Liberty Bonds directly to the public. The Third Liberty Loan ran from April 6 to May 4, 1918, offered bonds at 4.15 percent interest and raised more than $4 billion. Scouts took part in the Liberty Loan drives under the slogan “Every Scout to Save a Soldier,” canvassing neighbors for subscriptions. Leyendecker’s poster gave the young salesmen a picture of what they were doing: handing the nation the means to defend itself.
J. C. Leyendecker
Joseph Christian Leyendecker was born in Montabaur, Germany, in 1874 and grew up in Chicago, where he trained at the Art Institute before studying at the Académie Julian in Paris. He painted 322 covers for The Saturday Evening Post and created the Arrow Collar Man advertisements, and his polished, sculptural style strongly influenced the younger Norman Rockwell. The poster was printed by the American Lithographic Co. of New York.
The restored edition
Our edition was restored from a scan of an original 1918 lithograph. Yellowing, stains and paper wear were removed and the clean whites of the sky, the gold of the shield and the red of the Scout’s neckerchief brought back, keeping Leyendecker’s crisp, hatched brushwork rather than smoothing it into a modern illustration. Drag the before and after slider on the product page to compare.
The restored poster is available as a paper print in three sizes or framed in black, white or natural wood, printed to order in the USA.
Frequently asked questions
Who painted the Weapons for Liberty poster?
J. C. Leyendecker (1874 to 1951), one of the best-known American illustrators of his time, painted it in 1918 for the Boy Scouts of America’s part in the Third Liberty Loan.
What does the poster show?
A kneeling Boy Scout hands a broadsword inscribed Be Prepared to a towering figure of Liberty, who wears a spiked crown and a star-covered cloak and holds a shield bearing the eagle of the Great Seal of the United States.
What was the Third Liberty Loan?
It was the third of the U.S. government’s First World War bond drives. It ran from April 6 to May 4, 1918, offered bonds at 4.15 percent interest and raised more than $4 billion from the public.
What does Be Prepared mean on the sword?
Be Prepared is the Scout motto. Placing it on the blade turns the Scouts’ promise of readiness into a gift to the nation, which is the point of the poster.
How big was the original poster?
The Smithsonian’s copy measures about 20 x 30 inches. Our restored edition is available as a paper print up to 23.4 x 33.1 inches, or framed up to 23 x 33 inches.
Historical sources
- Library of Congress: U*S*A Bonds, Third Liberty Loan Campaign, Boy Scouts of America, Weapons for liberty
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Weapons for Liberty
- Norman Rockwell Museum, Rockwell Center: Leyendecker, Weapons for Liberty
- The Saturday Evening Post: J. C. Leyendecker
- Federal Reserve History: Liberty Bonds
- Boston Public Library: Weapons for liberty, U.S.A. bonds, 1918