Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Wartime poster designed by Frank Newbould featuring a pair of gripper pliers crushing a swastika. After the fall of France in June of 1940, Great Britain was left alone to withstand the full force of the German military and needed every citizen to do their part and assist in national defense. The gripper pliers symbolize how a unified industrial workforce could crush the Nazi threat. During the war, Britain’s economy transformed into a war economy focused on production for the war effort. Workers were tied to jobs that were considered essential, and employers were prevented from terminating workers without permission from the government. The poster was published by Her Majesty’s Stationary Office (HMSO). The HMSO was founded in the 1780s to provide documentary support and paper based supplies for the British government. The office was instructed to supervise the printing of 78 million ration books and instruction manuals on everything from cooking to air raids before the outbreak of the war. Frank Newbould was an artist who designed travel promotion posters for rail and shipping lines. In 1942, he joined the War Office, where he designed the “Your Britain: Fight for It Now” series of posters.
- Date
-
publication/distribution:
1939 September 03-1945 September
- Geography
-
distribution:
Great Britain
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Suzanne Herskovic Ponder
- Markings
- front, top right, printed, blue ink : TIGHTEN / YOUR / GRIP!
front, bottom right, printed, black ink : PRINTED FOR H.M.. STATIONERY OFFICE BY FOSH & CROSS LTD., LONDON (51/2085) - Signature
- front, bottom left printed, black ink : FRANK / NEWBOULD
- Contributor
-
Publisher:
H.M. (Her Majesty’s) Stationery Office
Printer: Fosh & Cross Ltd.
Artist: Frank Newbould
Physical Details
- Language
- English
- Classification
-
Posters
- Category
-
War propaganda
- Object Type
-
Posters, British (lcsh)
- Genre/Form
- Posters.
- Physical Description
- Poster printed on medium weight white paper with an image of a pair of black gripper pliers crushing a red swastika. The swastika has several cracks and breaks in its surface, and the top arm is falling off as the pliers’ C shaped jaws apply pressure. Above the image are three lines of large blue text. The lower right corner has a line of small black text and the artist’s signature is on the lower left. The center has a horizontal crease and there are several creases and pinholes at the corners. The back has small dirt stains throughout.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 19.875 inches (50.483 cm) | Width: 13.375 inches (33.973 cm)
- Materials
- overall : paper, ink
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- Restrictions on use. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum does not own copyright to this material. No information about the copyright was included on the Deed of Gift.
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Work. Labor. World War, 1939-1945--Great Britain. World War, 1939-1945--Great Britain--Posters. War propaganda. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Civilian.
- Geographic Name
- London (England)
- Personal Name
- Newbould, Frank, 1887-1951.
- Corporate Name
- Great Britain. Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The poster was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Suzanne Herskovic Ponder.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-25 09:18:46
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn619007
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Also in Suzanne Herskovic Ponder poster collection
The collection consists of nine British and American World War II posters.
Date: 1939-1945
British World War II public travel time recommendation poster
Object
Text only, lithographic wartime poster used in Great Britain to promote public travel between times that would not interfere with the commutes of workers essential for the war economy. After the fall of France, in June of 1940, Great Britain was left alone to withstand the full force of the German military. The country needed every citizen to do their part and assist in national defense. The poster was issued by the Ministry of Labour & National Service and the Ministry of War Transport for publication by Her Majesty’s Stationary Office (HMSO). The Ministry of War Transport was created to control shipping, public and private transportation policy, safety, and the resources of Great Britain during World War II. The Ministry of Labour was responsible for managing Great Britain’s economy, including human and material resources, and turned it into a war economy focused on production for the war effort. Workers were tied to jobs that were considered essential and employers were prevented from terminating workers without permission from the government. The HMSO was founded in the 1780s to provide documentary support and paper based supplies for the British government. The office was instructed to supervise the printing of 78 million ration books and instruction manuals on everything from cooking to air raids before the outbreak of World War II.
British World War II home front travel time advisory poster
Object
Small wartime poster used in Great Britain to promote public travel between times that would not interfere with the commutes of workers essential for the war economy. After the fall of France, in June of 1940, Great Britain was left alone to withstand the full force of the German military. The country needed every citizen to do their part and assist in national defense. The poster was issued by the Ministry of Labour & National Service and the Ministry of War Transport for publication by Her Majesty’s Stationary Office (HMSO). The Ministry of War Transport was created to control shipping, public and private transportation policy, safety, and the resources of Great Britain during World War II. The Ministry of Labour was responsible for managing Great Britain’s economy, including human and material resources, and turned it into a war economy focused on production for the war effort. Workers were tied to jobs that were considered essential and employers were prevented from terminating workers without permission from the government. The HMSO was founded in the 1780s to provide documentary support and paper based supplies for the British government. The office was instructed to supervise the printing of 78 million ration books and instruction manuals on everything from cooking to air raids before the outbreak of World War II.
American World War II beat the promise poster with a large B
Object
Text only poster featuring a large capital B and its corresponding Morse code symbol 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. 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.
American World War II beat the promise poster prompting workers to beat production quotas
Object
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.
American World War II beat the promise poster encouraging workers to share ideas
Object
Wartime poster depicting a worker examining the mechanical insides of an oversized head 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. The poster encourages employees to share their ideas in an effort to boost production. 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.
American World War II poster indicating worker production will help crush the Axis powers
Object
Silk screen poster depicting a giant shoe about to step on caricatures of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo 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. The poster insinuates that enhanced manufacturing production would be instrumental in stomping out the threat of the Axis Powers. 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.
American World War II poster promoting the purchase of war bonds to prevent bondage
Object
World War II war bond advertisement poster depicting a man with half of his body in bondage while the other half is free. The poster implies that buying war bonds supports the war effort as well as the American ideals of freedom and free enterprise, while the alternative is barren oppression under Nazi rule. Giving ten percent of your earnings references the practice of tithing, giving ten percent of one’s earnings to the church or charity. War bonds were offered by the United States government for purchase by the public, who would then keep the bond and be reimbursed for its return at a later date. To help the war effort, RCA Victor held war bond drive rallies that featured notable military figures and Victor record recording artists. They also introduced the Beat the Promise worker incentive program that encouraged employees to surpass production quotas. 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. By the end of World War II, Americans had purchased over $185 billion in war bonds.
British World War II home front travel time recommendation poster
Object
British wartime poster depicting a figure resembling Hermes, the ancient Greek god of travel. The poster encouraged members of the public that were not essential to the war economy to avoid rush hour travel and allow the workers to commute to and from their places of work in a timely manner. This poster was issued by the Thomas Tilling Group of Companies, a private company that owned and operated a fleet of buses used for public transport and tours. After the fall of France in June of 1940, Great Britain was left alone to withstand the full force of the German military. The country needed every citizen to do their part and assist in national defense. The Ministry of War Transport was created to control shipping, public and private transportation policy, safety, and the resources of Great Britain during World War II. The Ministry of Labour was responsible for managing Great Britain’s economy, including human and material resources, and turned it into a war economy focused on production for the war effort. Workers were tied to jobs that were considered essential and employers were prevented from terminating workers without permission from the government.
