Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
The warden must be seen, so must you: show white at night, especially below knees during blackouts, 1943 US poster

The warden must be seen, so must you: show white at night, especially below knees during blackouts

Blackout-safety sheet: a helmeted air-raid warden with a white armband and whistle, with a pair of young pedestrians carrying white papers in a circle below. The warden's visible white armband stands in for the pedestrians' own safety (transfer); the technique is faint here, mostly a plain instruction.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Transfer
Date
1943
Period
Second World War
Made by
American Automobile Association, Traffic Engineering & Safety Dept.
Region
North America
Country
United States
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
NGO
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)
American Automobile Association. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1769 (NAID 515442).

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

THE WARDEN
MUST BE
SEEN...
SO MUST YOU
SHOW
WHITE
AT
NIGHT
ESPECIALLY BELOW KNEES DURING BLACKOUTS
© AAA
S. S. P. No. 146
Copyright 1943
American Automobile Association
Traffic Engineering & Safety Dept.
"VICTORY HEROES" SERIES
Accidents Are Avoidable
Alertness Avoids Accidents

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