Buy War Bonds poster of a bandaged soldier
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 27.875 inches (70.803 cm) | Width: 22.000 inches (55.88 cm)
Creator(s)
- Robert S. Sloan (Artist)
- United States Office of War Information (Distributor)
- United States Government Printing Office (Printer)
- United States Department of Treasury (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 “Buy War Bonds” poster of a soldier with a white bandage around his head. The posters were issued by the United States Treasury Department to encourage the purchase of war bonds and war stamps. Professional artists were commissioned to create art for the posters which were distributed to retailers to display. There were 8 war loan drives conducted from 1942 to 1945. The public could purchase a $25 war bond for $18.75 to help pay for the military’s expenses. The war bond could be redeemed 10 years after purchase for the full $25. Bond quotas were set up on the national, state, county, and town levels to encourage the sale of war bonds. Volunteers went door-to-door to sell war bonds. It was considered a patriotic duty and an investment in victory. By the end of the war, 85 million Americans had purchased $185.7 billion dollars worth of bonds.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Color lithographic poster with a close-up of the head and shoulders of a blue-eyed, blond haired soldier with a blood spotted white bandage around his forehead. He wears a stained, khaki collared uniform shirt with epaulets and US insignia. He stares at the viewer with a stern, concerned expression. The sky in the background is gray streaked and threatening; to the right is a muddy field with broken machinery. The title and slogan are at the top and bottom. There are blurred sections from a printing misalignment.
People
- Sloan, Robert Smullyan, 1915-2013.
Subjects
- Soldiers--United States--Pictorial works.
- World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Finance--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- War posters, American--Specimens.
- Savings bonds--United States--Posters--Specimens.
Genre
- Object
- Posters