C.C. Beall
Don’t be a dope and spread inside dope, loose talk can cost lives
Lithograph
51 x 36 cm
‘Closed for the duration…Loose talk can cost lives.’
In both the United Kingdom and the United States, there was a constant fear of insider information being overheard by the enemy. As a result, there were several propaganda drives to encourage discretion among the citizens of the countries. This particular poster belongs to an American collection centring around the slogan ‘loose talk can cost lives.’ Depicting two men conversing over a couple of pints of beer with Hitler hanging over their heads. In this depiction, Hitler has an abnormally large ear, suggesting he hears all, highlighting the dangers of loose talk.
C.C. Beall (1892-1970) was an American commercial illustrator and portrait painter. He specialised in watercolour and drawings for magazines and comic books. Too old to be conscripted, Beall contributed to the war effort through his poster designs, in particular for war loan drives.
