WWII Posters - 1
WWII Posters played an important roll during WWII, helping mobilize the nation. Inexpensive, accessible and ever-present, the poster was an ideal agent for making war aims the personal mission of every citizen. Government agencies, businesses and private organizations issued an array of poster images linking the military front with the home front—calling upon every American to boost production at work and at home.
Deriving their appearance from the fine and commercial arts, posters conveyed more than simple slogans. They expressed the needs and goals of the people who created them. I was just a kid then, but I remember seeing many of them, still hanging in garages and plants long after the war ended. They represented a way of life, a collective spirit to do what was necessary to win the war and bring our boys home.
Cousin Mike emailed a collection of such posters to me the other day and I thought I’d share some of them over the next few weeks. I wonder how we’d respond today if asked to make such a commitment to the war effort. (Click to enlarge)
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Above: The Treasury Department financed the war through the sale of bonds and stamps to the public. War bond posters called upon all citizens to share in “ownership” of the war.
To be continued…
Doug
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Reader Comments (11)
I love these old posters! I can't wait to see the rest :))
There is a site somewhere (National Aviation or something with a bunch of these. Great!
Can't you hear the whines if this were today?
"That's what I pay taxes for!"
"I already give too much of mine to the government!"
"I support the troops (but not with money)."
We were a different people then, not so angry at our government. When they needed help to wage the war, we were right there. Women went to work in the factories, there were paper, tire, wood, copper drives to recirculate materials for the war effort, we bought war bonds (and stamps). Everyone did their part. Today I am ashamed to say we leave it to those in the military and let our corrupt government take our money because we are too lazy to be involved.
Very nice history lesson, I look forward to seeing more of these.
We actually remember the posters and the war bonds (dating ourselves). We were a committed, fiercely loyal country then. I also wonder what would/will happen if we are faced in the future with a similar situation. Will our leaders act or talk? Will we get really involved as our parents did?
I love that we were such a "team" back then. Everyone pulled together to win the war. And we didn't have a media bent on finding fault with everything the military did. It is a wonder we can even fight a war anymore when the media and congress have their fingers in it.
I am eager to see the rest of these when you post them. I forwarded this to my grandfather and he remembers them!
My father remember these drives. He wasn't able to enlist so he worked on paper and tire drives. Everyone bought war bonds through payroll deduction. The whole country, men, women, even kids all worked doing their parts at home while our men were fighting. Seeing the posters makes me even more proud of him.
Good post. These are an important piece of history that this generation may never have seen and a reminder of how things used to be when everyone was proud and unafraid of working together. People even trusted their government. A far cry from today.
The children bought the stamps at school and their parents bought the bonds. Everybody participated and helped win the war. The war was horrible and lasted a long time but we fought it hand in hand together as a country. I will enjoy the rest of the posters to see how many I remember.
Nice post. We'll look for the others next week :))