American Home-Front Posters of World War II: The Visual Bugle of Wartime Mobilization

Under the shadow of war, propaganda becomes a key tool for rallying public power and pushing the war effort forward. In World War I, to raise enormous sums of war finance from the public, countries enlisted top poster artists to create posters promoting war bonds and loans — the first large-scale use of poster propaganda. By World War II, the U.S. Office of War Information and other government agencies, along with private companies, produced posters in huge volume. The British and American governments worked to project a national image of unbreakable resilience, leaning on humor rather than fear-mongering.

At home in America, posters offered fine-grained guidance on public behavior. They told people whether to buy war bonds, whether to drive to work alone, which crops farmers should grow, even the taboos around chatting with strangers. These vivid, eye-catching posters urged Americans to work harder, produce more war materiel, save gasoline and scrap metal, support soldiers and sailors, and stop complaining about shortages.

Overall, America's WWII posters are vivid embodiments of wartime mobilization. They tied the government's intentions to citizens' responsibilities in immediate visual form, playing a role in the war effort that cannot be overlooked. They also reflect how, in extraordinary times, a nation, in pursuit of victory, guides and manages public life — from the material to the spiritual.

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