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Button your lip! Loose talk can cost lives

Poster
1942 (made)
Artist/Maker
British and American Ambulance Corps. (issued by)
Soglow, Otto (designer)
Place of origin
United States (made)

'Button your lip!', World War II poster warning against careless depicting a seviceman with his mouth buttoned together. The soldier is depicted in cartoon form, and his mouth is covered by three buttons. The cartoon is black and white, but is against a red background. Above the image, in white letters, is the slogan, 'Button your lip!', and below the image, printed in black on a yellow 'banner', 'Loose Talk Can Cost Lives'.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Propaganda
Caricatures & Cartoons
Posters
Object type
Poster
TitleButton your lip! Loose talk can cost lives (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph
Paper
Ink
Lithography
Brief description
'Button your lip!', World War II poster warning against careless talk depicting a man with his mouth buttoned together, by Otto Soglow, issued by British and American Ambulance Corps., 1942
Physical description
'Button your lip!', World War II poster warning against careless depicting a seviceman with his mouth buttoned together. The soldier is depicted in cartoon form, and his mouth is covered by three buttons. The cartoon is black and white, but is against a red background. Above the image, in white letters, is the slogan, 'Button your lip!', and below the image, printed in black on a yellow 'banner', 'Loose Talk Can Cost Lives'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 50.7cm
  • Width: 35.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'BUTTON YOUR LIP!' (Above the image, in white letters)
  • 'LOOSE TALK / CAN COST LIVES' (Below the image, printed in black against a yellow tape or banner)
  • 'O.SOGLOW' (In the lower right corner of the poster, white on red)
  • '© 1942' (Date, in lower left corner)
  • 'DISTRIBUTED IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, AND AS A MEANS OF OBTAINING FUNDS FOR AMBULANCES WHEREVER NEEDED, BRITISH AND AMERICAN AMBULANCE CORPS, INC., 420 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY' (distribution details, running along the lower edge of the poster, in white border, printed in black)
  • 'ART' (Symbol made of an eagle's head, forming the letter 'a', with the letters 'ART' below, within a squared oval)
  • 'LITHO IN U.S.A.' (Along edge in lower left corner, printed in black)
Credit line
Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko
Subjects depicted
War
Security
Propaganda
Espionage
Humour
Men
Servicemen
Caps
Uniforms
Buttons
Cartoons
World War II
Associated objects
Other number
LS.529 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.600-2004

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Record createdMarch 29, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O122422/button-your-lip-loose-talk-poster-soglow-otto/
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