I was careless! 'it ALL depends on ME'
Fire-prevention style poster: a photograph of a large building burning at night, silhouetted firefighters in front, with red text 'I was careless!' on the left and 'it ALL depends on ME' on the right. The speaker takes the blame for the blaze in the first person, a fear-appeal built on a disaster image.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Unnamed issuer (photograph credited to Illinois Photo-Gravure Co. / International News Service)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Mixed
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Home front, Security and surveillance
- 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)
Unnamed issuer. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1042 (NAID 514568).
Text on the object
I was careless! "it ALL depends on ME" [imprint:] © Illinois Photo - Gravure Co. International News Service CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
