Fish Is A Fighting Food

A bucket of fresh fish is hoisted from the fishing boat in this 1943 WWII propaganda poster entitled, "Fish Is A Fighting Food" by Henry Koerner. During the war, red meat was rationed due to the belief that it was a major source of energy intended for fighting men overseas. Among other types of proteins, fish was heavily marketed as an alternative. Eleanor Roosevelt promoted the food rationing and incorporated fish more frequently in the White House menu schedule to reflect the White House as an example to the public. Henry Koerner (1915-1991) was a Jewish refugee who immigrated to the United States from Austria in 1938. Trained as a graphic designer, he immediately produced a number U.S. propaganda poster before being drafted into the Graphics Division during WWII. He was sent overseas to document wartime life and was present at the War Crimes Trials to sketch the defendants. After the war, Koerner embraced the Magic Realism art style. He is well known for his many Time Magazine cov