US Don’t Travel poster depicting civilians and soldiers on a crowded train
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 28.000 inches (71.12 cm) | Width: 20.125 inches (51.118 cm)
Creator(s)
- United States Government Printing Office (Printer)
- United States Office of Defense Transportation (Distributor)
- United States Office of War Information (Distributor)
Biographical History
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was created on June 13, 1942, to centralize and control the content and production of government information and propaganda about the war. It coordinated the release of war news for domestic use, and using posters along with radio broadcasts, worked to promote patriotism, warn about foreign spies, and recruit women into war work. The office also established an overseas branch, which launched a large-scale information and propaganda campaign abroad. The government appealed to the public through popular culture and more than a quarter of a billion dollars' worth of advertising was donated during the first three years of the National Defense Savings Program. Victory in Europe was declared on May 8, 1945, and in Japan on September 2, 1945. The OWI ceased operation in September.
Archival History
The poster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by David and Zelda Silberman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of David and Zelda Silberman
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Poster from the Don’t Travel series depicting civilians and soldiers traveling on a crowded railcar produced by the Office of Defense Transportation. This office was involved in improving transportation performance and supporting war rationing efforts. Travel was organized into three categories: necessary for military travel and emergencies; permissible for vacation and shopping; and nonessential for social visits and excursions. By late in the war, more than 300,000 railroad workers were in the armed forces and there was a shortage of manpower for the railroads. The ODT stopped the operation of special event trains and limited of extra trains on heavily traveled routes.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Poster with a duotone photographic image of civilian men, women, and children, and some soldiers crowded into a railroad car. There are 2 lines of text across the top and within a red panel across the bottom.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--United States.
- World War, 1939-1945--Transportation--United States.
- World War, 1939-1945--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- War posters--Specimens.
- War posters, American--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects.
Genre
- Object
- Posters