War Posters: Five Rare Posters for Collectors

Highlights from Heritage Auctions' auction include:

Ten Years Ago: The Nazis Burned These Books (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1943) 

As a reminder to Americans that the freedom of speech is a precious thing, this poster invokes the memory of Joseph Goebbels' prolific book burnings that took place ten years earlier in Germany. On the night pictured, members of the Nazi party plundered the shelves of libraries and books stores for material deemed to be anti-Nazi, including such authors as Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Sigmund Freud, and Ernest Hemingway.

America's Answer! Production (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1942)

French artist Jean Carlu created a series of posters for the United States Government to promote production of war materials during World War II. The posters aimed to boost the morale of factory workers.

Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1943)

This World War II poster features David Stone Martin's powerful portrait of Dorie (Doris) Miller, honoring his heroic actions at Pearl Harbor and his receipt of the Navy Cross.

Every Girl Pulling for Victory (United War Work Campaign, 1918)

World War I propaganda poster created by American poster artist Edward Penfield for the United War Work Campaign. The poster rallied public support and fundraising efforts for organizations such as the YMCA, YWCA, and Salvation Army.

Never Was So Much Owed By So Many to So Few (H.M. Stationary Office, ca. 1940s)

First spoken after emerging from a command bunker during the Battle of Britain, Winston Churchill's powerful statement served as a rallying cry for the empire's embattled forces, later becoming the title of one of Churchill's most iconic wartime speeches.