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Posters part 3

While we have a lot of beautiful and serious posters, I decided to focus this week on some of the posters that give me a good chuckle, whether they be rhymes from the shipyard to encourage workers or posters warning sailors and soldiers about the dangers of venereal disease. It sometimes feels a little wrong to laugh at these as I know they were usually meant as serious warnings, but I just can’t help myself! Anyways, enjoy these gems!

The first poster is one we acquired from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in 1962. There is no information at the bottom of the poster and I have not found another one online, so I don’t know much about it, but I love the imagery of the messy pig. The second came to us from the shipyard and was used to encourage their employees to work hard to help defeat the Nazis. The line “And knocked Adolph square on his Axis” cracks me up every time! The third poster is from 1945 and encourages sailors/soldiers to get an x-ray done. I guess the idea is that if the big burly guy in the poster is willing to get his done, you should too. It’s great that he is so happy with himself and sits there and smokes. If only he knew what we know these days!

The first poster in this set is warning against food waste. The imagery in this one just seems so ridiculous as the sailor has tied and anchored down the woman to make sure she doesn’t get away, or go to waste, as he says. Hah! We have a number of posters in the collection about venereal disease, but these are two of my favorite. The first one is so great because of the faces and how upset and angry the last guy looks! The second is wonderful because the one sailor is literally holding back his buddy from the lady at the lamp post. There’s no medicine for regret!! Haha!

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