Henry Koerner (1878-1938)
View Artist Biography
Title:
Original Save Waste Fats for Explosives
Date:
1943
Size:
20 x 27.5
Medium:
Lithograph
Price:
$550.00
INV. #:
11962
"Save Waste Fats for Explosives" WWII Home Front Poster
This is a striking and historically significant piece of wartime propaganda! Here's what makes this poster remarkable:
Historical Context
The Campaign:
Created during WWII as part of the Home Front conservation initiative
Part of a broader effort to mobilize civilians to contribute to the war effort through resource conservation
Waste fats were genuinely crucial for munitions production
Why Fats Mattered:
Waste cooking fats and animal fats were essential raw materials for gunpowder and explosives production
Glycerin extracted from fats was a key component in the manufacture of explosives, ammunition, and other munitions
Citizens were urged to collect and deliver their waste fats to local meat dealers, who would then send them to munitions factories
This represented a direct connection between household waste and military capability
Visual Propaganda Power
The poster employs dramatic, emotionally charged imagery:
The Frying Pan Pouring Fats - Shows direct action and contribution
Bombs & Explosions - Vividly illustrates the end product of the fat collection effort
Fiery Inferno - Creates urgency and emphasizes the destructive power being generated
Color & Contrast - The bright yellows and reds of the explosion against the darker background make it impossible to ignore
Strategic Messaging
The brilliance of this poster lies in its cause-and-effect visualization:
Civilians see their discarded kitchen waste transformed into weapons
It makes the invisible production process visible and tangible
It empowers ordinary people by showing how their domestic actions directly support military operations
Rarity & Authenticity
This is an original lithograph (not a reproduction), professionally linen-backed and acid-free conserved. Original examples of this specific poster are genuinely rare and valuable to collectors today, making it a significant historical artifact of WWII civilian mobilization efforts.
This is a striking and historically significant piece of wartime propaganda! Here's what makes this poster remarkable:
Historical Context
The Campaign:
Created during WWII as part of the Home Front conservation initiative
Part of a broader effort to mobilize civilians to contribute to the war effort through resource conservation
Waste fats were genuinely crucial for munitions production
Why Fats Mattered:
Waste cooking fats and animal fats were essential raw materials for gunpowder and explosives production
Glycerin extracted from fats was a key component in the manufacture of explosives, ammunition, and other munitions
Citizens were urged to collect and deliver their waste fats to local meat dealers, who would then send them to munitions factories
This represented a direct connection between household waste and military capability
Visual Propaganda Power
The poster employs dramatic, emotionally charged imagery:
The Frying Pan Pouring Fats - Shows direct action and contribution
Bombs & Explosions - Vividly illustrates the end product of the fat collection effort
Fiery Inferno - Creates urgency and emphasizes the destructive power being generated
Color & Contrast - The bright yellows and reds of the explosion against the darker background make it impossible to ignore
Strategic Messaging
The brilliance of this poster lies in its cause-and-effect visualization:
Civilians see their discarded kitchen waste transformed into weapons
It makes the invisible production process visible and tangible
It empowers ordinary people by showing how their domestic actions directly support military operations
Rarity & Authenticity
This is an original lithograph (not a reproduction), professionally linen-backed and acid-free conserved. Original examples of this specific poster are genuinely rare and valuable to collectors today, making it a significant historical artifact of WWII civilian mobilization efforts.