Civil War Recruiting Broadsides

The Civil War coincided with innovations in photography, print media, and postage systems.

Long before social media or even television or radio existed, people used printed media as a means of public communication. Among the formats used was the broadside — a printed poster with text, historically used to advertise, announce events, or proclaim ideas to the public. Created with movable type that allowed for a range of words and font sizes, these mass produced posters were plastered on walls with information meant to appeal to the immediate community. Though mass communication now includes social media and other Internet-based media, you can still fi nd cheap, mass-produced posters, often on the temporary walls of construction sites, to advertise music, sports, or other local events.

During the Civil War, broadsides were a common sight. Recruiters in the military printed them to attract men to enlist. While the main audience was white men, specific subgroups and other groups- immigrants, African-Americans, workers - were also sought out.

This is a portion of those posters that we have labeled as 

Civil War Recruiting Broadsides

Materials published by the U.S. Government Printing Office are in the public domain and, as such, not subject to copyright restriction.