Poster stamp promoting the Greater New York Fund

World War II-era American poster stamp requesting support for the Greater New York Fund (GNYF). Poster stamps were collectable stamps, slightly larger than postage stamps, with designs similar to posters. Although they were not valid for postage, poster stamps could be affixed to letters and envelopes as a means for fundraising, propaganda, and educational purposes. The GNYF was a New York based grant-giving agency that began operation in 1938. They solicited contributions from business and employee groups, and distributed funds to over four hundred New York City health and welfare agencies, including voluntary hospitals, services for children and the aged, and health care services. After the United States entered World War II in December 1941, New York City transformed from a commercial and creative metropolis into an essential port and manufacturing hub for the war effort. The Brooklyn Naval Yard doubled in size, employing 70,000 people, including many women, and became the largest shipbuilding facility in the U.S. Workers mobilized to assist in wartime production, and families grew victory gardens to help with the challenges of rationing. New York ports shipped troops, ships, planes, guns, food, and other essential supplies across the Atlantic. The increased military value of the city also necessitated increased security. Times Square, Broadway, and other iconic locations shuttered their lights at night to protect the city from attack. Harbor defenses were bolstered, and the docks became high security zones. Sixty-three million tons of supplies and over three million men shipped out from New York Harbor over the course of the war.