"To Have and to Hold" War Bonds Poster, 1944.
This "To Have and to Hold" War Bonds Poster was issued by the US Treasury in 1944. War bond posters were a mainstay on the home front, encouraging the purchase of the debt securities issued for the purpose of financing WWII.
In this poster, a helmeted soldier reaches out his arm while extending the American flag. "To Have and to Hold" is a reference to the novel by Mary Johnson. Made into films twice before the war, it was about romance, intrigue and conflict between settlers, Indians and the Spanish in colonial Jamestown, Virginia.
The central image is an American serviceman "holding onto" the flag. This flag was formerly held in the collections of the San Mateo Historical Association, # 91-168-2.
Exhibition History:
San Mateo County History Museum
Redwood City, CA.
Provenance: Acquired by purchase after deaccession by the San Mateo County Historical Association, Redwood City, CA.
ZFC Collectible Flag
Sources:
War Bond, Wikipedia, 10 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_bond
To Have and to Hold, Wikipedia, 10 Mat 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Have_and_to_Hold
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
