American World War II beat the promise poster prompting workers to beat production quotas

Identifier
irn619009
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2018.370.5
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 21.875 inches (55.563 cm) | Width: 18.125 inches (46.038 cm)

Creator(s)

Archival History

The poster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Suzanne Herskovic Ponder.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Suzanne Herskovic Ponder

Scope and Content

Large wartime poster with an anthropomorphized wine bottle, encouraging the reader to not be a bottleneck that was part of RCA Victor’s “Beat the Promise” worker incentive poster series instituted in September 1941, shortly before the United States entered World War II. A bottleneck is a person whose slow work effort reduces the production capacity of the entire chain or process in which they are involved.The poster was part of RCA Victor’s Beat the Promise worker incentive campaign instituted in September 1941, shortly before the United States entered World War II. The promise refers to the company’s production quotas, which employees were encouraged to surpass. The poster series was part of a larger campaign by RCA Victor to increase production for the war effort. The campaign included rallies with war bond drives that featured notable military figures and Victor record recording artists. The campaign was very successful; RCA Victor’s production in 1941 was 14 times greater than in 1939, and production through the first six months of 1942 was 49 times greater than the same period in 1939.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Silk screen printed poster on medium weight off white paper, with an image of a green glass bottle wearing blue overalls, shoes, a black tie, and white gloves with red stars holding a pipe wrench in its right hand. The brown cork has a face with black, round eyes, raised eyebrows, and a dark mouth. The bottle is flanked by tan shadowing and black text and there is a line of red script text on the bottom. There is a small tear on the top edge, with pinholes in the top corners and in the bottom center edge. The back has dark streaks throughout.

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.