Poster designed by James Montgomery Flagg, 1917 (National Museum of American History)
One of the most momentous events of modern history, World War I had lasting effects in the military and diplomatic spheres, as well as on society, culture, and technology. In observance of the centennial of America’s formal entry into the conflict in 1917, many Washington-area museums are presenting exhibitions on a variety of aspects of the war. Robert A. Enholm, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former executive director of the President Woodrow Wilson House, leads a day-long tour to several of them, and discusses WWI-related sites in Washington along the route.
Participants have access to the American History Museum before opening hours to view a series of WWI-related exhibits. They include Modern Medicine and the Great War, which examines WWI as a testing ground for the application of new medical technologies and procedures; Advertising War: Selling Americans on the Home Front, a collection of poster images used to mobilize, motivate, and rally patriotism; Uniformed Women in the Great War, covering the contributions of volunteers who served in civilian and military initiatives; and Gen. John J. Pershing and World War I, 1917–1918, a re-creation of the war office of the commander of the American Expeditionary Force.
Next, a guided tour of the President Woodrow Wilson House includes a focus on Wilson’s role as a wartime leader, and an exhibition of works by artists embedded with American forces in Europe.
Following a 3-course lunch at Sette Osteria, a guided tour of the Postal Museum’s exhibition My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I offers personal perspectives on the war from the front lines and the home front. The day concludes at the Library of Congress, where Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I examines the upheaval of world war and its aftermath as Americans confronted it at home and abroad.
Price includes lunch.
Photo ID required.
