IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK: A Look Back at the 1918 Flu Pandemic
While we should not draw too many parallels between coronavirus and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, it is interesting to see that the actions taken by governments and individuals to prevent the spread of infection were not all that dissimilar. These surprisingly relevant vintage ads show how officials tried to convince people to social distance and wear masks after many refused during the 1918 flu pandemic: A newspaper clipping from 1919, Edmonton Bulletin
A poster distributed by Rennsselaer County Tuberculosis Association in New York in 1918.
The Sunday Oregonian, Portland, January 1918
A poster distributed by the US Public Health Service in 1918.
8 THE 1919 MAGAZINE | MAY 2020
