| Place | Europe: United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ARTV01561 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Sheet: 74.6 cm x 49.6 cm |
| Object type | Poster |
| Physical description | offset lithograph on paper |
| Maker |
H.M. Stationery Office Ministry of Agriculture James Haworth & Brother |
| Date made | 1939-1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Potatoes set our shipping free...
Description
British Second World War poster issued by the Ministry of Agriculture. It depicts three dancing potato sailors set against a blue background. One in the foreground is larger than the others and has HMAS Victory inscribed in his hat band. This poster, linked with the 'Potato Pete' campaign, links the urgency of the U-Boat situation in the North Atlantic with domestic gardening on the home front. Potatoes were preferred to bread, which had become a difficult good to purchase. Potatoes were preferred because they could be grown at home, or in commons, freeing up vital shipping trade with North America.