Poster stamp encouraging support of American troops in WWII

Propaganda poster stamp featuring an image of a soldier hugging a loved one before he leaves to go to war, distributed in 1943. The image illustrates the sacrifices made by soldiers and their families on the American home front during World War II (1939-1945). 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. Nikol Shattenstein, a Russian artist who immigrated to the United States in the 1920s, designed the image. It was featured at the Museum of Modern Art’s National War Poster Competition, held from August 15 to October 22, 1942. The competition featured artwork submitted by 2,000 artists, and 200 pieces of art were chosen to go on display at the museum. Shattenstein won the International Business Machines Anonymous Prize, one of nine $300 prizes awarded to the winners. The competition was sponsored by the museum, the Council for Democracy, and Artists for Victory. Artists for Victory also sponsored the creation of a series of poster stamps, one of which featured Shattenstein’s image. Artists for Victory was a New York-based organization of artists who used their talents to aid the war effort by staging exhibitions, poster competitions, and sponsoring portrait drawings, demonstrations of arts and crafts, and instruction in military hospitals.