Date of Award
Spring 5-7-2025
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration & Visual Culture
Degree Type
Thesis
Abstract
This essay uncovers advertising from World War II found in tear sheet archives. Through deep reading and contextual analysis, this essay seeks to determine what these advertisements—found in magazines, newspapers, and posters—were asking their viewers to do in response to the global conflict of the 1940s. It argues that advertisers used emotions and racism to entice citizens of specific classes to invest, enlist, and align their values with American ideals. The creators of these advertisements were hired by American companies, who used government sponsored tactics to woo citizens to the American Ideology while keeping the corporate brand in the public eye. Ultimately the paper exposes the self-serving nature of these American War advtisements and their impact upon visual culture.
Language
English
Program Chair
John Hendrix
Recommended Citation
Maupin, David W., "America is Banking on You! Selling American Ideology During World War II" (2025). MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture. 42.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_illustration/42