Posters Worth A Thousand Words

World War II political posters from the collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

In collaboration with

Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

The role of a poster

Posters were a key way to spread information during the war

The Posters That Spread Awareness

Teaching the British public about aviation

The Posters That Educated Civilians

Decoding the many symbols of military insignia

The Posters To Recruit Women

Encouraging women to join the reserves and fight for the country

Explore the poster collections by color

Joining the fight

Propaganda posters encouraged citizens to enlist in the military

Helping on the homefront

From victory gardens to calling for productivity

Buy war bonds!

Funding the war through the power of the purse

The poster art of Norman Rockwell

An iconic artist's contributions

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Countries around the world reminded citizens that carless talk costs lives

Women winning the war

The posters entreating women to enlist

Back them up!

Building a strong base of support

The inner workings of airplanes

Educating everyone on the aerial technology

One picture, many languages

How a poster changes as it spreads around the world

Dive into even more posters and printed culture

From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History