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Loose talk can cause this

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

'Loose talk can cause this', World War II poster warning against careless talk, depicting a US Serviceman behind a barbed-wire fence, being watched over by a Nazi soldier holding a gun. The American is wearing a khaki uniform with a soft cap and sergeant's stripes. The Nazi has his back to us, is wearing a blue uniform with red collar, epaulettes, and swastika armband, and a tin helmet, and is carrying a rifle and kit bag. The background is plain, except for the suggestion of the figures' shadows. In the upper-left corner of the poster, printed in red on a yellow 'banner', are the words, 'Loose talk can cause this'.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Propaganda
Posters
Object type
Poster
TitleLoose talk can cause this (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph
Paper
Ink
Lithography
Brief description
'Loose talk can cause this', World War II poster warning against careless talk, by Adolph Treidler, issued by British and American Ambulance Corps., 1942
Physical description
'Loose talk can cause this', World War II poster warning against careless talk, depicting a US Serviceman behind a barbed-wire fence, being watched over by a Nazi soldier holding a gun. The American is wearing a khaki uniform with a soft cap and sergeant's stripes. The Nazi has his back to us, is wearing a blue uniform with red collar, epaulettes, and swastika armband, and a tin helmet, and is carrying a rifle and kit bag. The background is plain, except for the suggestion of the figures' shadows. In the upper-left corner of the poster, printed in red on a yellow 'banner', are the words, 'Loose talk can cause this'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 50.7cm
  • Width: 35.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'LOOSE TALK CAN / CAUSE THIS' (to the upper right of the image, printed in black against a yellow tape or banner)
  • 'ADOLPH / TREIDLER' (Incorporated into the image, between the two men, black on white)
  • '© 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
Men
Soldiers
Uniforms
Rifles
Flasks
Bags
Swastikas
Helmets
Caps
Fences
Barbed-Wire
World War II
Associated objects
Other number
LS.535 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.603-2004

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Record createdMarch 29, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O122431/loose-talk-can-cause-this-poster-treidler-adolph/
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