Save Waste Fats for Explosives

During World War II, American women faced an ever-expanding list of wartime restrictions that affected every household task. Posters encouraged women to adhere to price ceilings, conserve scarce resources, salvage strategic materials, and make do with fewer goods and services in the name of victory.

This poster makes a graphic connection between the kitchen and the battlefield. In 1942, the War Production Board began urging American women to save waste cooking fats, a source of glycerin for explosives. The Washington Post commented, “The posters are aimed directly at the lady of the house, considered the only factor in this particular salvage campaign.” American women responded to the call. By the end of the war, American households had contributed nearly 380 million pounds of kitchen fats to the war effort.