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Fight or Buy Bonds: War Loan Posters from the Two World Wars
July 12-December 14, 2003
Driven by the need to pay for soldiers, munitions and supplies during World Wars I and II, the United States Treasury asked citizens to invest in Liberty Loans and War Bonds. Advertising posters designed by well-known illustrators led the charge in encouraging Americans to buy bonds to support the war. "Fight or Buy Bonds: War Loan Posters from the Two World Wars," on view at the National Heritage Museum, featured a selection of war loan posters drawn from the museum's collection. These colorful posters offered an exciting view of the concerns that confronted average Americans in wartime, and gave visitors a sense of how individuals participated in the war effort.
Twenty-three posters comprised "Fight or Buy Bonds: War Loan Posters from the Two World Wars." Ranging in style and presentation, these arresting posters urged Americans to "Hold Up Your End," or "Make the Dream Come True." Highlights of the show included a poster by Howard Chandler Christy, creator of the Christy Girl, and a poster by Norman Rockwell that the World War II Office of War Information rejected, then later accepted after it achieved fame as a Saturday Evening Post cover. Originally displayed in banks, factories, schools, churches, and railroad stations, war loan posters let citizens know that, in wartime, patriots could help both the government and American soldiers by investing their own hard-earned money. These posters also conveyed the message that everyday people, not just businesses and the wealthy, could buy government bonds. Supported by poster advertising, the government's bond drives in both World Wars I and II exceeded their goals. Between 1917-1918, Americans lent $21.5 billion to the war effort. Between 1941-1945, citizens invested $185.7 billion.
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