Syphilis False shame and fear may destroy your future (S) Have your blood tested. – Vintage Poster Wall Art
(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: Syphilis False shame and fear may destroy your future (S) Have your blood tested., preserved in this vintage poster. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.
Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
Syphilis False shame and fear may destroy your future (S) Have your blood tested.
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This silkscreen poster urges viewers to get a blood test and warns that "false shame and fear may destroy your future," turning a stigmatized disease into a plain public health message. It was produced under the Federal Art Project, part of the Works Progress Administration, which employed artists during the Depression and created posters on health, safety, and community services. In the 1930s, syphilis was a serious public health problem in New York State, and screening through blood tests, such as the Wassermann test, was a major tool for finding infections early. The poster's direct address and its focus on fear and shame show how health campaigns of the period tried to get people to seek testing despite social taboos.
| Created / published | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen color. |
| Notes | Date stamped on verso: Nov 8 1938. Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress). Posters of the WPA / Christopher DeNoon. Los Angeles : Wheatly Press c1987 no. 299 · Federal Art Project sponsor. |
| Subjects | Syphilis--New York (State)--1930-1940. Blood testing--New York (State)--1930-1940. Health care--New York (State)--1930-1940. Disgrace--1930-1940. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Work Projects Administration Poster Collection |
| Original scan | 976 × 1,536 px · prints to 3 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | 256_Syphilis_False_shame_an_1936 |
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