US careless talk poster with a dead US sailor on a beach
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 27.875 inches (70.803 cm) | Width: 22.000 inches (55.88 cm)
Creator(s)
- Anton O. Fischer (Artist)
- United States Office of War Information (Distributor)
- United States Government Printing Office (Printer)
- Adjutant-General's Office, United States, Army Service Forces (Issuer)
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
US careless talk poster depicting a dead US sailor washed near shore warning the public to guard what they say in public because it could lead to battlefield deaths. The careless talk series of US propaganda posters was an Army Services project, distributed by the Office of War Information. The need to manage the war on the Home Front led to the establishment of the OWI in June 1942. This office controlled the design and distribution of war information to the American public in posters, photographs, radio shows, and films. They commissioned work from leading artists of the period, including Anton Otto Fischer, who painted this image. Fischer was a German born artist who immigrated to the United States and painted patriotic posters for the government during both World Wars. The careless talk series originated in 1940 in Great Britain. It highlighted the many ways that careless talk could leak sensitive information that our enemies would use to kill soldiers, sink ships, and undermine the war effort.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Offset color lithographic poster reproducing a painting of a dead sailor lying on his back in shallow water on a beach with white topped ocean waves in the background. He wears a torn blue sailor’s uniform with white striped cuffs and collar, with blood dripping from holes in the cloth. In the far background is a gray sky streaked with pink.
People
- Fischer, Anton Otto, 1882-1962.
Subjects
- War posters, American--Specimens.
- Propaganda, American--Posters--Specimens.
- United States--Social life and customs--1918-1945--Posters--Specimens.
- National security--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--United States--Posters.
- World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Posters--Specimens.
- Espionage--United States--Prevention--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Covert operations--Posters--Specimens.
Genre
- Object
- Posters