Save freedom of worship...Buy war bonds

Place North & Central America: United States of America
Accession Number ARTV07308
Collection type Art
Measurement Overall: 142 x 101.8 cm
Object type Poster
Physical description Offset lithograph on paper
Maker Rockwell, Norman Perceval
Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information
U.S. Government Printing Office
Place made United States of America: Washington DC
Date made 1943
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright

Item copyright: Unlicensed copyright

Description

Poster depicts a group of praying figures. 'Freedom of Worship' was one of the 'Four Freedoms' outlined by President Roosevelt in a 1941 speech to Congress as one of allied nations' aims, that when the war was done, all people might live in freedom from fear, from want and with guaranteed freedom of speech and worship. The poster is a reproduction of a painting by Norman Rockwell, who was so inspired by Roosevelt's words, that he executed four paintings in seven months which embodied what he thought to be four basic freedoms. The paintings were published by the Saturday Evening Post, where Rockwell had been working since 1916. The paintings were a phenomenon in war-time United States; 25,000 reproductions were requested. The US Treasury Department toured the four original paintings to 16 cities to promote war bonds. The four paintings were also published as postage stamps by the United States Post Office.