Cost of Living in Two Wars
1944
Designer
Leon Helguera
Printer
U.S. Government Printing Office Washington D.C
DIMENSIONS
28 x 20 in. (71.1 x 50.8 cm)
OBJECT NUMBER
PH.2025.1097
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
United States
CREDIT LINE
Poster House Permanent Collection
KEYWORDS
Man, Political, Uncle Sam, War, White, WWII

In this patriotic poster, Uncle Sam gestures to a chart showing that the cost of living during World War II has remained relatively stable compared to that during the previous war and urging housewives (like the one seen taking a pledge in the medallion at lower right) to “Keep up the good work…Pay no more than ceiling prices.” While during World War I, there had been limited government control of consumer prices and rationing was voluntary, during World War II, rationing was mandatory and the new Office of Price Administration (OPA) froze the official prices for a wide range of products, including food, to offset wartime inflation. Housewives were encouraged by the OPA to help enforce “ceiling prices” by refusing to purchase goods at prices above those on the official price lists.

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