US poster promoting victory over racism at home and fascism abroad
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 44.250 inches (112.395 cm) | Width: 32.500 inches (82.55 cm)
Creator(s)
- United States Government Printing Office (Printer)
- United States Office of War Information (Distributor)
- United States War Manpower Commission (Author)
- Alexander Liberman (Photographer)
Biographical History
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was created on June 13, 1942, to centralize and control the content and production of government information and propaganda about the war. It coordinated the release of war news for domestic use, and using posters along with radio broadcasts, worked to promote patriotism, warn about foreign spies, and recruit women into war work. The office also established an overseas branch, which launched a large-scale information and propaganda campaign abroad. The government appealed to the public through popular culture and more than a quarter of a billion dollars' worth of advertising was donated during the first three years of the National Defense Savings Program. Victory in Europe was declared on May 8, 1945, and in Japan on September 2, 1945. The OWI ceased operation in September.
Archival History
The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection. The acquisition of this collection was made possible by the Crown Family.
Funding Note: The acquisition of this artifact was made possible by the Crown Family.
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
US poster promoting the need for an integrated workforce to support the war effort. It depicts a black American and a white male working together to rivet an airplane. Roosevelt's June 1941 executive order prohibited discrimination in defense work. After the US declared war in December 1941, there was a labor shortage as war production increased and working men enlisted in the military. The War Manpower Commission, formed in 1942 to mobilize the work force, spotlighted the need to overcome prejudice and hire workers from all segments of the population. Black Americans also faced discrimination in the military and many saw the war as a double victory in a fight against fascism and racism, at home and abroad.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Color offset lithographic poster adhered to linen backing. It has a black and white photographic image of a young black man and a young white man in work clothes riveting metal printed over a graphic depiction of a red, white, and blue American flag. The black man, in a cap with an upturned visor, leans over the airplane fuselage, while the light haired white man leans over the metal above him. Across the bottom in large white uppercase font is the slogan UNITED WE WIN.
People
- Liberman, Alexander, 1912-1999.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Blue collar workers--American--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- War posters, American--United States--Specimens.
- Prejudices--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- Race relations--United States--Posters--Specimens.
Genre
- Posters
- Object