War Bonds poster with a Russian woman and a bombed city

War conservation poster of cooking fats pouring from a pan

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Poster issued to encourage Americans to save fats from cooking for the war effort. The poster show cooking fats being poured out of a pan, and then shows several bombs being manufactured from that oil.

War bonds poster with a soldier's helmet by a white cross grave marker

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Buy War Bonds poster issued by the Institute for American Democracy, Inc. to encourage the purchase of war bonds and war stamps. The poster depicts a US Army combat helmet by a white cross in a graveyard full of crosses, asking .".does it matter whether he was Protestant, Catholic or Jew ? He fought American. He died American. He was American." The United States Treasury Department issued war bonds to encourage the purchase of war bonds and war stamps. There were 8 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 pay for the military’s expenses. 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 $185.7 billion dollars worth of bonds. The war in Europe ended May 8, 1945, and the war in Japan on September 2, 1945.

War Bonds advertisement poster

Object

Buy War Bonds poster issued by the Institute for American Democracy, Inc. to encourage the purchase of war bonds and war stamps. The US Treasury Department conducted 8 war loan drives from 1942 to 1945. The public could purchase a $25 war bond for $18.75 which would be used to help pay for the military’s expenses. 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 $185.7 billion dollars worth of bonds. The war in Europe ended May 8, 1945, and the war in Japan on September 2, 1945.

War Bonds advertisement poster

Object

Buy War Bonds poster issued by the Institute for American Democracy, Inc. to encourage the purchase of war bonds and war stamps. The US Treasury Department conducted 8 war loan drives from 1942 to 1945. The public could purchase a $25 war bond for $18.75 which would be used to help pay for the military’s expenses. 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 $185.7 billion dollars worth of bonds. The war in Europe ended May 8, 1945, and the war in Japan on September 2, 1945.

Poster of the Statue of Liberty protected by wartime industries

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US Buy War Bonds poster depicting the Statue of Liberty

Object

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. U.S. posters tended to focus on patriotic themes and appeals to emotion to garner support. War bond advertisement posters 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.

War conservation poster of cooking fats pouring from a pan

Object

Poster issued to encourage Americans to save fats from cooking for the war effort. The poster show cooking fats being poured out of a pan, and then shows several bombs being manufactured from that oil.

US war production poster depicting a female factory worker working on an aircraft flare

Object

American war production poster featuring a black and white photographic image of a female factory employee, printed in 1942. The image was meant to promote female participation in the workforce, particularly in manufacturing and blue-collar trades. Before World War II, women’s work was restricted to traditionally “feminine” professions such as typing or sewing, and they were expected to leave the workforce once they married or became pregnant. From 1940 to 1945, over sixteen million men joined the military, and the War Manpower Commission (WMC) was formed in 1942 to stabilize the American workforce. The WMC worked with Unions and employers to minimize turnover and allocate labor where it was most needed for war production. To accomplish this, the WMC and the government began recruiting women, and over five million entered the workforce. The majority of the women undertook the factory and office jobs that the men had vacated, though women earned less for their work. In 1942, the U.S. government established childcare facilities to enable more mothers to participate in the workforce. Even with these new opportunities, minority women struggled against the prejudice of the time to find jobs in certain industries. After the war, women were laid off in large numbers to make room for the return of men to the factories.