Stuart Hood of Bellevue on July 28 shared with neighbors and friends for the first time his family’s collection of over 35 original WWI posters. The date marked the 100th anniversary of the day when Austria, with Germany as an ally, declared war on Serbia, an action that started what escalated into “the war to end all wars” known today as World War I.

Hood’s war posters came into play after the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. Large rallies were held to sell War Bonds, enlist young men to fight and ask for help. Posters designed by well-known artists like Norman Rockwell were hung in stores, on store windows, in libraries and on billboards.

In Portland Ore., one of the distributers of such posters was Harry Cowgill, the grandfather of Hood’s wife Barbara. Leftover posters have remained in the family ever since. The July 28 display was at Pacific Regent Bellevue and was the first time all the posters had been exhibited at once.

Stuart and his family plan to have the posters preserved before donating them to one of several organizations in time for public showing by April 6, 2017, which will be the 100th anniversary of the United States entry into WWI.