Anti-Japanese Poster Stamp World War II
Date
1942
Credits
- Harley Melzian Artist
- Artist for Victory Inc. Contributing Editor
Format
- Poster 1654
- Postage Stamp 45
Type of Work
- Archive 93
Media
- paper 1258
Locations Made
- United States 659
Related Items
Links
This anti-Japanese poster stamp was designed and distributed after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942 by Harley Melzian, who worked with Artists for Victory to aid the war effort through art. Poster stamps could not be used for paid postage, but could be pasted to envelopes as propaganda.
With the words “This is the enemy” and “Wipe this slime and crime from the earth!” printed in red ink, the stamp depicts a yellow monkey with slanted eyes and the hat of a Japanese soldier. The racist caricature attacks a white woman, showing that Japanese and Japanese-American soldiers were a threat to America.
