Today is the 70th anniversary of the V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), marking the end of World War II in Europe. To mark the anniversary, the Library would like to spotlight the Artists for Victory war stamps found in the records of Virginia’s World War II History Commission.
Formed during World War II, Artists for Victory, Inc. was a non-profit organization of more than ten thousand artists, united to serve the United States to the full extent of their various talents. In the fall of 1942, Artists for Victory, Council for Democracy, and the Museum of Modern Art sponsored the National War Poster Competition. Over 2,000 entries were submitted focusing on eight war themes: Production, War Bonds, The Nature of the Enemy, Loose Talk, Slave World or Free World?, The People are on the March, and Deliver Us From Evil. Artists for Victory selected 50 of the most stimulating and had them reproduced as “war poster labels to carry their vital messages to every person throughout” the country. Below are some examples of these stamps.
No. 23 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist - Duane Bryers, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Accession 27544, Library of Virginia.
No. 4 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: John Dumas, Jr., 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 8 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Douglas Grant, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 9 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Duncan Gleason, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 27 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Nikol Schattenstein, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 28 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Ben Nason, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 32 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Oliver Nelson, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 35 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Silvia Passerini, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 38 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Josefa Wenter, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 44 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Clarence West, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 46 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artists: Karl Koehler and Victor Ancona, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 47 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Edward Barton Greenhaw, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 48 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Mary Stewart, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
No. 49 of the First Series of 50 War Poster Labels sponsored by Artists for Victory, Inc. Artist: Charles T. Allenbrook, 1943, Records of the World War II History Commission, Miscellaneous Records, Box 1b, Folder 100, Accession 27544, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia.
The Virginia World War II History Commission Records, 1941-1950, Accession 27544, are open to researchers.
-Roger Christman, Senior State Records Archivist
