Dust paris green on swamps and ponds
Public health poster: a cartoon worker in a straw hat pushes a hand duster across a pond edge while larvae in the water say, 'Curses! It's plain to see malaria mosquitoes we'll never be!' The ask is a practical task (dusting breeding water). The technique is faint; the closest is plain-folks, an ordinary worker doing the job, with humour carrying the message.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Federal Security Agency, U.S. Public Health Service (artist signed Mango)
- 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
- Health, Home front
- 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)
Federal Security Agency, U.S. Public Health Service. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1326D (NAID 514972).
Text on the object
DUST PARIS GREEN ON SWAMPS AND PONDS CURSES! IT'S PLAIN TO SEE MALARIA MOSQUITOES WE'LL NEVER BE ! [signature: Mango] Federal Security Agency U. S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE [imprint: U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943-O-516139] For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. MC 5
