"I Solemnly Swear That I Won't Eat No More Ice Cream" (An Heroic Sacrifice)
A pen-and-ink cartoon shows a boy holding up his hand in a pledge, his cap in the other hand, with a small dog saying 'Me too!', in front of a shop advertising ice-cream cones, sugar cookies and candy. The child's misspelled oath to give up sweets made with sugar presents sugar saving as a pledge anyone, even a child, can keep.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1918
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- U.S. Food Administration
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Health
- Event
- World War I
- Regime
- Wilson administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 4 (U.S. Food Administration), World War I Posters (NAID 512439), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
U.S. Food Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-73.
Text on the object
"I solomonly sware that I wont eat no more ice cream what's maid with suger nor no more candy what's maid with suger. Honest an troo-cross my hart. AMEN!" 5 CENT CONES FRESH BAKED SUGAR COOKIES CANDY ME TOO! AN HEROIC SACRIFICE. ZIM '18 U. S. Food Administration
The spellings are the cartoon's own. NARA's title standardises them ('solemnly', 'won't', 'what's made', 'sugar'). The signature reads 'ZIM' with '18' and is partly stylised.
