US careless talk poster with a mugshot of a woman wanted for putting lives at risk
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 27.875 inches (70.803 cm) | Width: 20.000 inches (50.8 cm)
Creator(s)
- United States Government Printing Office (Printer)
- United States Office of War Information (Distributor)
- Victor Keppler (Photographer)
- Adjutant-General's Office, United States, Army Service Forces (Issuer)
Biographical History
Victor Keppler was born on September 30, 1904, in New York City, New York. He was a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and City College New York. He also attended New York University Law School. He had an influential and successful career as a commercial photographer. His photographs and cover art were published in major publications, including the Saturday Evening Post, Ladies' Home Journal, and Better Homes and Gardens. He also produced work for several major advertisers, such as General Electric, Corning Glass, and DuPont. Keppler's work was marked by his early and innovative use of color photography and his ability to transmit the style and effects of other visual arts, such as painting, in photographs. In 1961, he founded the Famous Photographers School in Westport, CT, and was the director and president until his retirement in 1972. Keppler won many awards for his work ad was a five time gold medal award winner of the Art Director's Club. Keppler published four books on photography, spanning his career, with the 1938 book, The Eighth Art: A Life of Color Photography, and his 1970 memoir, Victor Keppler: Man and Camera: A Photographic Autobiography. Keppler was married to Josephine Windmann and the couple had two children. Keppler, 83, died on December 1, 1987.
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 donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by David and Zelda Silberman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of David and Zelda Silberman
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 careless talk poster designed like a wanted poster seeking a woman wanted for murder. This poster warns people to guard against what they say in public because spies might get the information. The careless talk series of US propaganda posters was an Army Services project, distributed by the Office of War Information. The need to manage 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 posters, photographs, radio shows, and films. They commissioned work from leading artists of the period, including Victor Keppler, the photographer of this work. The careless talk series originated in 1940 in Great Britain. It highlighted the many ways that careless talk could leak sensitive information that our enemies would use to kill soldiers, sink ships, and undermine the war effort.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Offset color lithographic poster with a black and white photographic image of woman's face looking straight ahead with a small, tight, smug smile. She wears earrings and her hair is nicely styled, but the photo resembles a mugshot. The photographer's name, Victor Keppler, is printed within the image. On the back is printed postal information and the address of the recipient.
People
- Keppler, Victor, 1904-1987.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Posters--Specimens.
- United States--Social life and customs--1918-1945--Posters--Specimens.
- Espionage--United States--Prevention--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Communications--Posters--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Posters--Specimens.
- Propaganda, American--Posters--Specimens.
- National security--United States--Posters--Specimens.
- War posters, American--Specimens.
- World War, 1939-1945--United States--Posters.
Genre
- Object
- Posters