We have collected in this section a series of war propaganda posters of last century centred on the topic of the fight against food waste.
Beyond the historical testimony and the beauty of some of them, what we want to emphasize, by showing them, is the paradoxical relevance of messages. Paradoxical because the conditions are completely different: then they were justified by the scarcity of food that propaganda misleadingly tried to make up for through the exaltation of parsimony, savings and patriotism; today what justifies them is the overabundance of food that needs to find a more equitable distribution. There is, however, a feature that unites them: the call to abandon a merely individualistic behaviour assuming responsibility for common needs.
-
USA 1917
Food
It’s a not illustrated Lithographic poster only made up of text, designed in 1917 by Frederic G. Cooper and realized by the United States Food Administration in the period of the First World War.
The United States Food Administration was created in 1917, during the American involvement in the First World War, as the responsible agency for the administration of food supplies for the Allies until 1919.
It’s purpose was to ensure the supply, distribution and storage of food during the war, easy transport and maintain government control over supplies.
The posters were used as a medium to transmit the message to the American civilian population to use of the food with respect and rationality.
The text of this one, calls for a conscious eating: in the purchase, in the selection and in the preparation of food.
-
USA 1917
Food is ammunition
The poster, created by the United States Food Administration and designed by J. E. Sheridan in 1917 during the period of the 1st World War, shows a basket of garden fruits and orchards in the background of which are visible soldiers on horseback holding up an American flag.
The text accompanying the image underlines the fact that during the war, even for the greater difficulty of supply, the food is as precious as the ammunition, and should therefore not be wasted. The civil population is invited to rationalize consumption and food resources, so that they can be used by the soldiers, who must be well fed to be able to fight.
-
USA 1917
Save a loaf a week, help win the war
The poster was designed in 1917 by Frederic G. Cooper and realized by the United States Food Administration during the First World War.
The text which is accompanying the image (a hand slicing a loaf of bread) is an invitation to rationalize consumption "Save a loaf a week" so that the food can be destined to the soldiers who fight to win the war.
-
USA 1917
Little Americans do your bit
A Poster created in 1917 by the Cushman Parker for the United States Food Administration during the First World War.
The image (a child who pays tribute to a bowl of cereal doing a military salute) and the text of this poster are showing how even children were called to participate in the war effort in those years. During the war the wheat was chiefly for the soldiers, for this reason the children (and their mothers) were encouraged to eat other types of cereals such as oats, corn, rice and always leave the pot well cleaned.
-
USA 1917 - 1919
The greatest crime in Christendom
This poster, painted by an anonymous author, was realized by the Educational Services of the United States Food Administration between 1917 and 1919 during the First World War.
The image shows a woman in the act of throwing the leftover food: the message is that the largest number of victims was not caused directly by the war but from its main consequence: the hunger. So they invite the american civilians not to waste food resources, eat less and not to throw anything away in order to save food
-
USA 1917 - 1919
Don’t waste food while others starve!
The poster was created by the United States Food Administration between 1917 and 1919, during the 1st World War and signed L.C.s Clinker and M.J. Owyer.
LThe urgency of the appeal "Do not waste food while others starve!" is made by the drama of the image: a woman in the foreground, with thin and gaunt face, that with one arm holding a newborn baby in tears and with the other surrounds the shoulders of a undernourished child who holds out his hand as if to ask for something to eat. Another child, whose profile is only hinted at, clings to the woman on the other side.
Behind them, you can see a pleading crowd with arms raised upward, while in the background stand the ruins of bombed buildings.
-
USA 1917 - 1919
Sir - Do not waste while your wife save. Adopting the doctrine of the clean plate. Do your part."
A Poster created by the United States Food Administration between 1917 and 1919, during the 1st World War.
The image depicts a man smoking a cigar at the end of the meal. In front of him the table shows still plates full of uneaten food.
The slogan below the illustration is an invitation not to frustrate the commitment with which women are working to avoid waste: "Do not waste while your wife save. Adopting the doctrine of the clean plate. Do your part."
-
USA 1917 - 1919
Waste no food
A not illustrated Manifest, painted by an anonymous author, realized between 1917 and 1919 by the Educational Services of the United States Food Administration and the Department of Agriculture in Washington.
The long text which is addressed to the civilian population, invites not to throw food in the trash and in the sinks at home kitchens: also it underlines the importance of not wasting food, expensive and intended for human, when given to farm animals. It invites the public to make their own philosophy of savings, rather than that of the spending.
-
FRANCE 1916
Ne pas gaspiller le pain est notre devoir - Not to waste bread is our duty
A lithographic poster by the municipal school "St. Vincent" in Paris.
Made and distributed during the 1st World War, it is part of a series of posters designed by children of the Parisian school for the French National Committee for welfare and savings, in order to incite the population to contribute to the war effort.
The central image (a loaf of bread, resting on a table, from which was cut a slice), is enclosed in a circle framed by floral motifs and is accompanied by a warning, addressed to the French population, to do their duty by not wasting the bread.
-
FRANCE 1916
Économisons le pain en mangeant des pommes de terre - Save the bread, eating potato
A Poster created during the 1st World War by the students of the municipal school "Yvonne Vernet" Paris for the French National Committee for welfare and savings.
It is part of a series of posters created by the children of the Parisian schools to raise awareness of the French population to participate in the war effort.
A call for saving bread by replacing it with potatoes is accompanied by an image depicting a plate of steaming potatoes placed on a table.
-
UNITED KINGDOM 1914 - 1918
The Kitchen is the Key to Victory. Eat Less Bread
The poster of British propaganda printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney Ltd. during the 1ST world war, depicts a women standing in front of a stove, with a pot in her hands. It also includes a key on top of the women and the caption “The Kitchen is the key to victory, eat less bread”. The message is aimed at the women on the home front, urging them to save resources.
-
GERMANY 1916
Krieg und Küche - War and Kitchen
A Poster created in 1916 by Käte Spanier and published by the National Women Service (Nationaler Frauendienst) during the 1st World War. The text accompanying the image (women carrying kitchen stuff) is an invitation to rationalize food consumption and to cook in a smart way, so that the population helps to win the war. The immage shows certain rules to cook and use the food: eat “war bread”. Cook the potatoes in their skin. Do not buy cake. Be wise, save fat. Cook with “Kochkiste”. Cook with war cookbook. Help to win the war.
-
GERMANY 1916
Kampf dem Verderb, Jetzt erst recht! - Fight the spoilage, Now more than ever!
A Poster created in 1916 by Alfred Walter Ernst Ewest and published by German Country Advertising Service of Berlin - during the 1st World War.
The imagine shows an old and dry slice of bread on a black background, accompanite by the slogan: “Fight the spoilage – now more than ever” to call up the population for not to spoil their food in the time of the war.
-
FRANCE 1942
Economisez le pain. Coupez-le en tranches minces… et utilisez toutes les croûtes pour le soupes – Save the bread. Cut into thin slices and... use all the crusts for soups
The Poster, which is signed by R. Roche and created by the Social Service of the French Red Cross during the 2nd World War, it’s part of the Aimé Petraz collection.
The image depicts a sliced up loaf of bread in the foreground, while in the background you can see a ration card to buy bread. The explicit reference to the rationing of food strengthens the invitation, expressed by the text, to save the bread by cutting it into thin slices and using all parts.
-
FRANCE SECOND WORLD WAR
Des pommes... partout des pommes! ... dès maintenant, conservez des tranches de pommes séchées … cet hiver vos enfants s'en régaleront - Apples… apples everywhere! … from now, keep dried apple slices… this winter your children will enjoy
A poster from the Social Service of the French Red Cross. Collection Aimé Petraz. It is part of a series of posters, created during the 2nd World War, to disseminate of domestic economy advices.
The text is accompanied by two images: top illustration shows a saleswoman next to a cart full of apples, at the bottom you see a knife slicing the fruit.
-
USA 1943
Fight food waste
A poster created in 1943 by the US Ministry of National Economy (Department of Agriculture), during the 2nd World War.
The message is specifically addressed to American housewives, depicted in the image with a metropolis in the background, to invite families to a husbrandy domestic food consumption, again to a saving policy in the purchase, in the consumption and in a way to store for stock.
-
USA 1943 - 1945
Don’t be finicky
The poster was created between 1943 and 1945 by the US Navy Ministry of Supply, after the US entry into the 2nd World War.
The comic type image signed by Hotchkiss USNR, depicts a scene that takes place between sailors: "He had a penchant for liver pate," said a sailor of a colleague, dejected for the modest rations of war.
The slogan says: "The rations of the sailors is the best; take all you can eat; eat whatever you've taken" to invite the soldiers to appreciate their food provided but also not to waste it, as it constitutes a valuable resource in time of war; the message therefore addresses the American military forces.
-
USA 1943 - 1945
Our allies need eggs. Your farm can help
The poster was created during World War II by the United States Rural Electrification Administration and designed by Herbert Bayer, depicts a large egg in the foreground with any buildings on fire in the background.
The egg picture, what is the symbol of life, is opposed to the degradation and the hardships that war brings.
-
USA 1943 - 1945
Don’t waste good food
A Poster created in 1944, during the 2nd World War by the Ministry of Supply of the Navy, signed Hotchkiss USNR.
The image depicts a sailor that throws a good part of his rations in a garbage: the slogan "when you serve more food than you can eat you betray your fellow of the fleet" is intended to raise awareness of the sailors in regard to the comrades engaged in fights in Europe
-
USA 1944
You wouldn’t deprive your family of food!
A Poster created in 1944, during the 2nd World War by the US Navy Ministry of Supply, signed by Hotchkiss Usnr.
The comic type image is depicting a sailor who steals a full plate of food from the hands of a man who is surrounded by his family and they are dismayed and afflicted.
The slogan "You wouldn’t deprive your family of food! Certainly not! Yet it is exactly what you do when you throw away good food!" to urge the sailors not to waste their rations, as they throw away good food is equivalent to steal civilians which are already suffering from the war’s privations
-
USA 1944
Tell him…
The poster created in 1944 during the 2nd World War by the US Navy Ministry of Supply and signed by Hotchkiss Usnr, shows a couple of parents intent on writing a letter to his own son, who, as it suggests the picture exposed on the table, is a sailor.
The boy's father says to his wife the text of the letter: “Tell him that the people here hope that the boys are appreciating all the good food that we grow for them” concluding the phrase warning him against food wastage: "P.S: Also tell him I will punish him is if he wasted."
-
USA 1944
O.K. chow hound
A Poster created in 1944 during the 2nd World War by the US Navy Ministry of Supply, signed by Hotchkiss USNR.
The image adopts a cartoony style and the slogan “OK Chow Hound just be sure you eat it. Watch your waste!” exhorts the sailors not to waste their rations, filling his plate in an exaggerated way. In this case, to represent the wordplay between chow (food), hound (dog) and chow hound (glutton), the sailor is depicted as a dog that holds an overflowing food tray.
-
USA 1944
How's Your Bunker?
The comic type image exhorts the Navy soldiers not to waste their rations.
It shows a sailor whose stomach is represented as a tank that should not be overloaded, as the slogan says: “How is your tank? The food is your fuel, do not waste it!”. Hence the invitation not to waste food, defined in this case the fuel of the military.
-
UNITED KINGDOM
Waste the food and help the hun
A Satirical poster signed by British designer Fougasse (Cyril Kenneth Bird, 1887-1965) in which it is depicted a caricatured version of Adolf Hitler, who, in his interest, invites citizens to waste food, so depriving its allies in Europe and exposing them to the risk of being overwhelmed by Nazi forces.
-
UNITED KINGDOM 1942
Better pot-luck than humble pie
An english poster created in 1942 during the 2nd World War, depicting a stylized bowl with the caricatured of Churchill which is proposed as an alternative to a more inviting pie whose box depicts the face of Hitler.
The slogan "Better to be content today of a plate with the good Churchill than to swallow a toad under Hitler. tomorrow” is a call to the civilian population against food waste, to be satisfied so to be able to win the war, and to avoid getting subsequently subjugated by Hitler.
-
USA 1943
Our food is fighting
The poster, which was created in 1943 during the 2nd World War by the US Office for War Information, depicts two parachutes that shall each bear a man and a box of food supplies, leading them on a battlefield.
The underlying message reminding to obtain food in a wise way, to cook it, to store it carefully, and to use leftovers not to waste the one destined to the fighting troops on the European fronts.
-
USA 1943
Food is a weapon
A Poster not signed implemented in 1943 by the US for information warfare, which calls on citizens to follow the national nutrition program for the war, urging them not to waste valuable food. The image depicts a plate containing advanced bones from a meal and an empty glass.
-
GERMANY 1939
Hamsterin, schäme dich – Hoarder, shame on you
The poster was created in 1916 by Max Eschle and published by Ministry for propaganda of the NSDAP party.
The image shows a caricature of a woman who buy too much food to hoard it at home. The woman is shown as a hamster because of the german word “Hamstern” (hoard) which is close to the word for the animal “Hamster” (hamster).
The poster calls for a conscious handling of food shopping. And that hoarding is a shame, because of the rare food in a war situation. Which say’s the slogan: “Hoarder - shame on you”.
-
GERMANY 1940
Hilfe, ich verhungere Es gibt immer noch keine Bananen! - Help, I am starving. There are still no bananas!
The poster was created in 1940 by Fuchs and published by Müller and Son. The image shows an old overweighting woman that is in the middle of a mass of vegetables among them tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers and damsons.
The sense of the image is to show that there is an abundance of vegetable specifies, but the people are still not satisfied with what they have.
-
GERMANY 1940
“10 Gebote” Kampf dem Verderb - “10 commandments” Fight spoilage
The poster painted by an unknown artist and used during the 2nd World War, shows the 10 commandments against waste:
- Fight from spoiling, saves precious national wealth and serves our food freedom
- The capable housewife does not let spoil any foods
- Buy always the food that provides for you, good and inexpensive, the season and the german round
- Who buys maintained products, buys cheap and serves the German quality production
- Buy stocks only in times of surplus, if you are able to protect them from spoilage in kitchen and basement
- Save your stocks before their archenemies every day: Dirt, heat, frost and humidity
- Fight the occurring pests immediately and vigorously, because of them develop millions of new destroyer
- The love goes through the stomach, prepare therefore the meals with care and understanding
- Show by using reasonable the leftovers that you are a good housewife
- Fight from spoiling is the thanksgiving of the German people
Special thanks to Elvio Soleri, collector and expert on vintage posters, who oversaw the catalog and the caption of most of the material here exposed.
