Cost of living in two wars: Keep up the good work, keep down living costs
Price-control poster: Uncle Sam gives a thumbs-up beside a line chart titled 'Cost of living in two wars', with a high red line for the last war and a low yellow line for this war. The text asks viewers to keep up the good work, keep down living costs and pay no more than ceiling prices. The chart gives no scale or dates and shows one comparison only, and Uncle Sam lends the national symbol to the request.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1944
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of Price Administration; artist L. Helguera
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Office of Price Administration; artist L. Helguera. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-609 (NAID 514087).
Text on the object
COST OF LIVING IN TWO WARS LAST WAR THIS WAR Keep up the good work Keep down living costs PAY NO MORE THAN CEILING PRICES [signature:] L. Helguera [imprint:] ☆ U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1944—O—585391 [pencil note:] classify- prices Inflation OPA-
