Knifed! Willful absenteeism strikes at our liberty!
Workplace poster: a fist labelled 'Willful Absentee' drives a dagger into the back of the Statue of Liberty, which is tipping over with its book falling, under the headline 'Knifed!'. The image casts staying away from work as a stab at the nation, a fear-appeal, and the label on the arm names the absentee as the attacker.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Victory-Builders Division, Bressler Editorial Cartoons, Inc.; artist Packer
- 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
- Labor, 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)
Victory-Builders Division, Bressler Editorial Cartoons, Inc.. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1224 (NAID 514830).
Text on the object
KNIFED! WILLFUL ABSENTEE WILLFUL ABSENTEEISM STRIKES AT OUR LIBERTY! [signature: Packer] [imprint: PRINTED IN U.S.A.] [imprint: Copyright, "VICTORY-BUILDERS" Division BRESSLER EDITORIAL CARTOONS, Inc., NEW YORK]
