c.1943 You Can Set Their Spirit Free War Prisoner Aid Edward McKnight Kauffer WWII POWs

Date: c.1943Artist: Kauffer, Edward McKnight Size (in): 22” x 14”Size (cm): 55.9 x 35.6Condition: B+Linen backed: NoThis rare WWII poster was created by prolific poster artist Edward McKnight Kauffer and issued by the National War Fund. The National War Fund was established in February 1943 to help coordinate foreign war relief appeals. Aid to prisoners of war was one of the primary beneficiaries of the of the National War Fund receiving almost 10% of the $321,000,000 disbursed by that organization during its four year existence between 1943 and 1947. American-born Kauffer’s long career in graphic design began in Great Britain where his clients included the London Underground and the Shell Oil Company among others. At the outbreak of the Second World War Kauffer returned to the United States where his skill as a poster designer was deployed in support of the Allied cause. This poster highlights the Modernist style associated with Kauffer’s earlier poster work. The silhouette of a moder