![John Bull is Pulling in His Belt! [1], 1939 UK poster: A vertical pre-war versus now chart, headed 'examples of food](../images/uk-john-bull-is-pulling-in-his-belt-1-1939.jpg)
John Bull is Pulling in His Belt! [1]
A vertical pre-war versus now chart, headed 'examples of food restriction in Great Britain', shows icons for sugar confectionery, cream, eggs, bananas, grapefruit, lemons, wine and whisky, several marked 'NONE'. The tell is the selection: only items that fell are charted, with no figures for foods that rose or for rationing arrangements (card-stacking).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Not stated on the poster (no imprint or issuer visible)
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
Issuer not stated. National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-250.
Text on the object
John Bull is pulling in his belt! examples of food restriction in GREAT BRITAIN PRE-WAR | NOW SUGAR consumption in sugar confectionery CREAM production 33,000 TONS | NONE EGGS average monthly consumption per person BANANAS imports 22,000,000 BUNCHES | NONE GRAPEFRUIT imports 11,300,000 CWTS. | NONE LEMONS Etc. imports 1,100,000 TONS | NONE WINE imports WHISKY production
