Overview
- Brief Narrative
- American war bond poster printed in 1945, featuring a clenched fist holding war bonds, superimposed in front of the Statue of Liberty’s arm and torch. The symbolism of the image implies that purchasing war bonds was a way the public could support and protect American liberty, represented by the Statue of Liberty’s torch, which is also the lone light in the night sky. The United States Government offered the public the opportunity to purchase war bonds, and return them for reimbursement at a later date. Purchasing bonds was considered patriotic and an investment in victory, and U.S. posters levied patriotic themes and appeals to emotion to garner support. The advertisement posters for war bonds were issued by the United States Treasury Department to encourage the purchase of war bonds and war stamps. There were eight war-loan drives conducted from 1942 to 1945. The public could purchase a $25 war bond for $18.75, which would be used to help finance the war effort. The war bond could be redeemed 10 years after the purchase for the full $25. Bond quotas were set up on the national, state, county, and town levels to encourage the sale of war bonds. Volunteers went door-to-door to sell war bonds. By the end of the war, 85 million Americans had purchased over $185 billion in war bonds.
- Artwork Title
- 85 Million Americans Hold War Bonds
- Series Title
- Buy War Bonds
- Date
-
publication/distribution:
1945
- Geography
-
publication:
Washington (D.C.)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection. The acquisition of this collection was made possible by the Crown Family.
- Markings
- front, bottom right, printed, white : 85 / MILLION / AMERICANS / HOLD / WAR BONDS
front, bottom left corner, within border, printed, black ink : [star] U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1945-O-629877
front, bottom center, within border, printed, black ink : OFFICIAL U.S. TREASURY POSTER
front, bottom right corner, within border, printed, black ink : WFD 983-A - Contributor
-
Publisher:
United States Government Printing Office
Distributor: United States Department of Treasury
Distributor: United States Treasury Department War Finance Division
Physical Details
- Language
- English
- Classification
-
Posters
- Category
-
War propaganda
- Object Type
-
Posters, American (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Posters.
- Physical Description
- Poster printed on rectangular heavy weight, white, paper with an image of a man’s raised hand clutching war bonds, mirroring the raised arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty in the background. The man’s raised right hand and forearm are in the foreground and he is holding several 100 dollar war bonds. Behind is the Statue of Liberty’s right arm holding the torch, which lights up the starry night sky. Large white text is in the lower right corner and the poster has a narrow white border with small black text along the bottom. The paper has three evenly spaced vertical and horizontal creases and a small pinhole in each corner.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 28.000 inches (71.12 cm) | Width: 20.000 inches (50.8 cm)
- Materials
- overall : paper, ink
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Patriotism--United States--Posters. Savings bonds--United States--Posters. War posters, American. World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects--United States. World War, 1939-1945--Finance--United States. World War, 1939-1945--United States--Posters. Statue of Liberty (New York, N.Y.) in art. Statue of Liberty (New York, N.Y.)--Pictorial works. Symbolism in art. Executive departments
- Geographic Name
- New York (N.Y.) United States
- Corporate Name
- United States. Department of the Treasury
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
The acquisition of this artifact was made possible by the Crown Family.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-28 07:27:22
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn552833
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Also in War propaganda posters and ephemera collection
The collection consists of two posters and a full page advertisement produced in the United States during World War II.
Date: 1942-1945
US poster depicting the Statue of Liberty and flags of Allied Nations
Object
Poster depicting the Statue of Liberty and the flags of 30 of the first 31 (Iraq’s flag is not pictured) countries who had declared war on the Axis Powers, and signed the Declaration by the United Nations (an alternate term to describe the Allied Powers). The Declaration pledged the signatories to employ their full resources to the war effort, and prevented them from making a separate peace. The poster was designed by Steve Broder, a Canadian artist working in the United States. 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.