When I visited the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda, Florida, last October, I paused in the meeting room after my talk to enjoy their display of World War II posters. They reminded me vividly of the passion and self-sacrifice the American people were expected to display at that time in our history. They also started me thinking about the art and effort that went into producing these posters, as well as the radio, newspaper, and magazine ads that infused US citizens with patriotism during World War II.
Most of the iconic war-effort ads of that time were the production of one organization–The War Advertising Council. This Council was the brain-child of an advertising executive born in 1886, James Webb Young. The Council itself was founded on February 18, 1942, as an organization that would invest the minds and hearts of Americans with behaviors deemed to be necessary to win the war. They would do this through intense advertising campaigns sponsored by the US government. The war department knew that besides the production of traditional weapons such as tanks, planes and guns, the patriotism and determination of civilians was of tantamount importance to the war effort. The War Advertising Council created the concepts for campaigns that included posters, pamphlets, radio shows, movies, and newsreels with the express purpose of keeping the US public 100% behind the war effort.
The Office of War Information Bureau of Graphics was the government agency that produced and distributed posters created to embody the advertising messages generated by the War Advertising Council. Since the early 19th century, with the invention of industrial, mechanized printing presses that made mass printing less expensive and faster than ever before, the poster had become an important tool for all kinds of advertising. Posters were perfect for placement at post offices, transportation centers, schools, and commercial establishments such as restaurants and theaters.
In 1942, the US government commissioned a study to identify what style of poster art was most efficient at influencing people. The study indicated that realistic pictures appealed directly to the emotions of the viewer with the greatest effect. Symbolic or humorous posters were not as easily noticed, were not viewed as favorably, and, worst of all, were often misunderstood by those who saw them. Of course, a simple message in large print was best to grab people’s attention.
Neither the Office of War Information nor the War Advertising Council used a regular staff of artists to design the many posters made. Competitions were held and independent artists were asked to submit their designs for specific campaigns. This allowed a larger quantity and greater variety of designs to be available for production. In spite of the government study, many cartoon-style and symbolic designs were deemed to be outstanding by the judges of the national competitions during the war. The theme of national strength, represented by well-muscled men, shapely women, and mighty machines, was also common in the winning posters. Unlike many of the posters developed in Britain and Germany, US posters rarely used images that showed the horror of battle or engendered hatred of the enemy. They instead concentrated on images that made consumers feel the need for the war and want to participate in the war effort in any way they could. The posters of World War II in the United States were truly a blend of patriotism and capitalism.
The US government had a long list of ideas they felt a supportive population should embrace–everything from conservation of resources to the prevention of leaks of vital information to the enemy (see previous blog), from the purchase of war bonds to finance the war to the escalation of factory production. These different goals were tackled in a variety of campaigns and produced in an order based on their priority.
One of the first items on the agenda was to finance the war. This was done by encouraging the purchase of War Bonds, a way for the 
everyday citizen to lend money to their government and earn interest for themselves at the same time. Other wartime efforts included the encouragement of military enlistment, persuading women to find jobs in the defense industries, explaining the need for rationing of gasoline, rubber, sugar, butter, and meat, the conservation of all supplies, and the constant reminder that unguarded talk could lead to vital information reaching enemy ears. Special ad campaigns especially for men in the military cautioned about venereal disease with such slogans as, “She may look clean — BUT” and “Don’t take chances with pickups. VD is not Victory.” Another series of ads that targeted American civilians reminded them of the suffering and sacrifices made by the Armed Forces overseas and their families at home.
everyday citizen to lend money to their government and earn interest for themselves at the same time. Other wartime efforts included the encouragement of military enlistment, persuading women to find jobs in the defense industries, explaining the need for rationing of gasoline, rubber, sugar, butter, and meat, the conservation of all supplies, and the constant reminder that unguarded talk could lead to vital information reaching enemy ears. Special ad campaigns especially for men in the military cautioned about venereal disease with such slogans as, “She may look clean — BUT” and “Don’t take chances with pickups. VD is not Victory.” Another series of ads that targeted American civilians reminded them of the suffering and sacrifices made by the Armed Forces overseas and their families at home. During World War II, the US Office of War Information released more propaganda posters than any other country, Allied or Axis. Close to 200,000 different posters were produced between 1941 and 1945. At the end of the war, President Truman urged the renamed “Ad Council” to continue its work in peacetime.
The longest running campaign created by the Ad Council was initiated in 1944, even before the end of the war. It gave Americans Smokey the Bear, dressed in jeans and a ranger hat, and his warning, “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.” Other important campaigns of the Ad Council included the push to end polio (1958 – 1961) by encouraging a reluctant population to make the effort to get immunized and recruitment efforts for the Peace Corps (1961 -1991), “The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love.” More recently, they initiated the groundbreaking ads in 1988 that educated the public about the dangers of the AIDS virus and used the word “condom” for the first time in American advertising.
Though posters created by artists are no longer a part of modern media advertising, this art form did play a decisive and influential role during World War II. The images in posters reveal the life and trends of the 1940s and help us to understand the hopes and dreams of our grandparents and parents who were part of the World War II generation.
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