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Buy War Bonds 1943 | Symeon Shimin WW2 Propaganda Poster
Buy War Bonds 1943 | Symeon Shimin WW2 Propaganda Poster
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A U.S. Army soldier in steel helmet and olive uniform embraces a woman in a blue coat against a warm red background. The bold yellow lettering reads "BUY WAR BONDS", a direct appeal to the home front.
Commissioned by Abbott Laboratories in 1943, this poster formed part of their contribution to the U.S. Treasury's Schools-at-War Program. Russian-born American artist Symeon Shimin created this tender yet persuasive image to capture the emotional stakes of wartime bond purchases. Abbott, a key wartime supplier of penicillin and medical equipment, carefully selected artists for this series to provide authentic depictions of the sacrifices made by servicemen and their families.
Shimin's composition works through intimacy rather than patriotic bombast. The couple's embrace speaks to what soldiers were leaving behind and what bond purchases helped protect. This emotional directness made the Abbott series particularly effective as wartime communication design.
Produced as an archival print on 200gsm Enhanced Matte Fine Art Paper, maintaining the poster's original graphic impact for collectors and students of wartime visual culture.
