US Buy War Bonds poster depicting the Statue of Liberty

Identifier
irn553957
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2015.591.8
Dates
1 Jan 1945 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 28.000 inches (71.12 cm) | Width: 22.000 inches (55.88 cm)

Creator(s)

Archival History

The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection. The acquisition of this collection was made possible by the Crown Family.

Funding Note: The acquisition of this artifact was made possible by the Crown Family.

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

American war bond poster printed in 1945, featuring a clenched fist holding war bonds superimposed in front of the Statue of Liberty’s arm and torch. The symbolism of the image implies that purchasing war bonds was a way the public could support and protect American liberty, represented by the Statue of Liberty’s torch, which is also the lone light in the night sky. The United States Government offered the public the opportunity to purchase war bonds, and return them for reimbursement at a later date. Purchasing bonds was considered patriotic and an investment in victory. U.S. posters tended to focus on patriotic themes and appeals to emotion to garner support. War bond advertisement posters were issued by the United States Treasury Department to encourage the purchase of war bonds and war stamps. There were eight war loan drives conducted from 1942 to 1945. The public could purchase a $25 war bond for $18.75, which would be used to help finance the war effort. The war bond could be redeemed 10 years after the 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. By the end of the war, 85 million Americans had purchased over $185 billion in war bonds.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Poster printed on rectangular, heavyweight white paper with an image of a man’s raised hand clutching war bonds, mirroring the raised arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty in the background. The man’s raised right hand and forearm are in the foreground, and he is holding several 100 dollar war bonds. The Statue of Liberty’s right arm holds the torch high, and lights up the starry night sky. Large, white text is in the lower right corner, and the poster has a narrow, white border with small, black text along the bottom. The paper has three evenly spaced horizontal creases and a centered vertical crease.

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.