Hold on to your Social Security card
A cartoon everyman in a polka-dot bow tie holds up a Social Security card, with three panels giving reasons not to lose it: it may be needed on a new job, a duplicate takes time, and replacing lost cards cost Uncle Sam the price of 550 jeeps. The ordinary-man figure carries the plain-folks appeal; the fear-appeal is mild, an inconvenience and a cost.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Issuer not printed (subject is the Social Security card); artwork signed Ralph Patterson
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Mixed
- 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)
Social Security Board. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-997 (NAID 514504).
Text on the object
hold on TO YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD don't lose it, BECAUSE YOU MAY NEED IT ANY DAY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU TAKE ANOTHER JOB IT TAKES TIME TO GET A DUPLICATE REPLACING 1,861,871 LOST CARDS LAST YEAR COST UNCLE SAM THE PRICE OF 550 JEEPS [card: SOCIAL SECURITY ... 000-[illegible]-0000 HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR J. Wilbur Worker EMPLOYEE'S SIGNATURE] [imprint: ES-96] [signature: Ralph Patterson]
