American propaganda poster depicting Mussolini, Tojo, and Hitler listening for information
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 13.750 inches (34.925 cm) | Width: 26.000 inches (66.04 cm)
Creator(s)
- United States Office of War Information (Distributor)
- United States Government Printing Office (Printer)
- Ralph W. Iligan (Artist)
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 2017 by Forrest Robinson Jr.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Forrest James Robinson, Jr.
Scope and Content
Poster depicting the heads of Axis leaders, Benito Mussolini of Italy, Hideki Tojo of Japan, and Adolf Hitler of Germany, above a clear warning. Each man is holding a hand cupped to one ear, suggesting that he is listening carefully for any careless talk revealing valuable information about the United States or their allies. The poster was designed by Ralph Iligan, an artist working for the Graphics Division of the United States Office of War Information, in 1942. The need to manage information about 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 print, radio, and film media. The OWI commissioned work from leading artists to create posters to inspire and instill confidence and patriotism in the American public. The OWI also ran information campaigns for civilian agencies, War Bond drives, and campaigns to ramp up economic production for the war effort. New posters were distributed every two weeks, with the stated goal of placing posters in every city and town in the United States.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Rectangular poster on tan paper depicting the photorealistic, black-and-white, disembodied heads of three men from left to right: Benito Mussolini, Hideki Tojo, and Adolf Hitler. The men are identified by characteristic elements: Mussolini wears an Italian military hat, Tojo is bald with round-lensed glasses and a pinky ring, and Hitler has a toothbrush mustache and slicked-back hair. Each man holds a hand, depicted from the wrist up, cupped around an ear, as though listening. The artist’s signature is in black ink at the base of Tojo’s wrist. Below them, along the bottom of the poster, is a thick, red color bar bearing the English title in white text, the first two words in uppercase font. Printed beneath, in very small text is the publication information.
People
- Ralph W. Iligan (American, 1893 - 1960)
Subjects
- United States.
Genre
- Posters
- Object
- War Posters