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Use It Up, Wear It Out, Don't Waste... More Cool Vintage World War I & II Food & Frugality Posters of the Depression Era
Compiled by Vicki McClure Davidson
One of hundreds of World War I and II posters that were created to motivate people to grow Victory gardens, remind them to not waste food or other rationed items, to support the war effort and our allies, to buy war bonds, to conserve, and to willingly sacrifice for the nation |
In two other articles — the main one titled WWII & Great Depression Era Frugality Makes a Comeback — Recycling, Thriftiness, & Cool Food Posters of the Era, and a second, More Vintage World War I & II Food & Frugality Posters of the Depression Era — it was discussed how WWI and WWII era posters communicated with Americans during wartime and economic crisis were effective modes of communication for at least four decades.
Posters of these eras were displayed in countless public places in thousands of American cities. The posters carried many messages, usually reminding Americans to be frugal and not wasteful, as well as emphasizing the importance of recycling, growing Victory gardens, other ways to save money, reuse/recycle, decrease wastefulness, help the war effort, and to ration numerous scant goods and resources like gasoline and rubber, especially during wartime.
Newsreel showings in theatres, radio broadcasts, newspapers, and government-issued propaganda posters plastered from coast to coast hammered the messages 24/7. Long before instantaneous communication, like from television and the Internet, newsreel showings in movie theaters, radio broadcasts, newspapers, and government-issued propaganda posters plastered from coast to coast hammered the messages 24/7. Buying war bonds was but one of the many messages to American citizens during this era of war and hardship. Many Hollywood stars of the time spearheaded war bond drives. Many stressed frugality and doing without to help with the war effort.
The photo gallery below is another set of more cool vintage WWI, WWII, and depression-era posters, like the others posted here and here. Many of these posters were issued during the early 1940s, while some are from World War I and the Great Depression era.
Click on any of the images below to enlarge them.
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