Invent for victory
Illustrated poster: a drafting board with a tank blueprint and set square at left, and army fighters, a tank, anti-aircraft guns and a warship against an orange sky. Red headline 'INVENT for VICTORY' over text urging 'ALL AMERICANS' with an idea to send it to the National Inventors Council. 'Victory' is the abstract goal; 'all Americans' addresses everyone.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- National Inventors Council, U.S. Department of Commerce (artist Elmo White)
- 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
- War and the military, Science and technology, 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)
National Inventors Council, U.S. Department of Commerce (artist Elmo White). National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1104 (NAID 514631).
Text on the object
INVENT for VICTORY ALL AMERICANS WHO HAVE AN INVENTION OR AN IDEA WHICH MIGHT BE USEFUL TO THEIR COUNTRY ARE URGED TO SEND IT IMMEDIATELY TO NATIONAL INVENTORS COUNCIL DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE-WASHINGTON, D.C. [imprint:] U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE [signature:] Elmo White U.S. ARMY (on aircraft fuselages)
