Closed for the Duration
Howard Scott (American, 1902-1983)
Issued by British and American Ambulance Corps, Inc., New York
1942
lithograph
50.5 cm x 35.5 cm
Special Collections and College Archives, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College

American Field Service
Virginia Gilmore
L.I.P. & B.A., New York c. 1939-1945 lithograph
55.5 cm x 41 cm
Special Collections and College Archives, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College 

Two pieces of tape form an X over a man’s mouth in the poster Closed for the Duration, designed by war artist Howard Scott. This implicitly violent image asserts that “loose talk” in the United States could result in the endangerment of countless American soldiers as well as their loved ones due to leaked information. Directed towards American civilians, the print calls for the protection of American soldiers in warzones, aims to discourage dissident speech against the war effort, and warns against the threat of espionage.(1) Therefore, Closed for the Duration at once heightens the public’s feeling of responsibility for the war effort and discourages nonconformist discourse within the American population. Above all, the work reminds Americans of their ultimate trustworthiness and nationalism.(2)

The lithograph American Field Service, created by Virginia Gilmore, depicts two muscular soldiers carrying the body of a fallen man as a string of fast moving ambulances fill the lower half of the frame. These men represent the dedication of those who serve in the U.S Army; they bow their heads in respect for the fallen soldier while bearing the weight of his body. Contrasted with this seemingly slow and reverent movement of the figures hovering in the sky are the spinning tires of the ambulances below as they transport wounded soldiers to safety along a dusty road. This poster serves two purposes; it both acknowledges the certainty of death and injury in war and also highlights the importance of services such as the American Field Service. The work assures young men that they can save many lives if they join this organization.(3)

Though the American Field Service and Closed for the Duration posters have different targeted audiences, both Scott and Gilmore convey their messages with visual clarity and stimulating directness. Despite the ostensible simplicity of the compositions, these posters reflect an important movement in World War II propaganda as the newly created Office of War Information had to compete for attention with an increasingly poster-saturated public. Consequently, these representations of bodies in conflict mobilized the public by making a distant war seem real to those who were expected to supply the resources, human effort, and political support necessary for victory.(4) 

1 George Roeder, The Censored War: American Visual Experience During World War II (Yale University Press, 1993), 15.

2 According to Roeder, “During the war the U.S. Government, with extensive support from other public and private organizations, made the most systematic and far-reaching effort in its history to shape the visual experience of the citizenry.” In the beginning stages of World War II the government stated they would follow “The Strategy of Truth” and promised that the “U.S. Government would tell the truth because it had nothing to hide, because citizens in a democracy deserved full and accurate explanations of the actions of those who governed by their consent, and because the strategy produced results.” This strategy soon morphed into one of intense censorship and relentless propaganda, with many of the most powerful images that came out of World War II being drawn or written rather than photographic. This was because the government could screen photographs, but could not screen what writers and artists took home in their memories. Ibid., 17.

3 Ibid., 3.

4 Elmer Davis, head of the Office of War Information, states, “The love of peace has no meaning or stamina unless it is based on a knowledge of war’s terror ... dead men have indeed died in vain if live men refuse to look at them.” This encapsulates the office’s movement away from strict censorship towards the end of the war, as the longer it went on, the more futile it seemed to suppress harsh photographs of the reality of war. Furthermore, it was believed that these more realistic images would prepare the American public for peace talks as the war drew to a close. Ibid., 1, 11, 15.