Snapshots of the Past

Keep mum - the world has ears / Grigware. – Vintage Poster Wall Art

Keep mum - the world has ears / Grigware., 1941 — vintage poster
Keep mum - the world has ears / Grigware., 1941. Vintage poster from the WPA Posters collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

A window into the past: Keep mum - the world has ears / Grigware., preserved in this vintage poster. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

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Keep mum - the world has ears / Grigware.

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The slogan "Keep mum, the world has ears" sets this 1941 poster apart from the other civil defense messages in the Work Projects Administration collection, since it warns about a listener rather than a specific act. The United States was still months from entering the war, but fears of enemy spies and careless talk were already shaping public information campaigns. Printed in silkscreen by the Federal Art Project, the poster reflects how the WPA turned wartime security concerns into bold, widely posted messages for ordinary citizens.

Created / published1941
Medium1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen color.
NotesWork Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress). · Federal Art Project sponsor.
SubjectsWorld War 1939-1945--Civil defense. Eavesdropping--1940-1950.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Work Projects Administration Poster Collection
Original scan4,096 × 2,761 px · prints to 14 × 9 in at 300 dpi
Reference516_Keep_mum_the_world_has_1941

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