50 Vintage STD Propaganda Posters

Wartime propaganda of the ’30s and ’40s didn’t stop at the physical enemy on the other side of the trenches. Guilt and scare tactics were common in the battle against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases within the American public at large and in the military in particular.

Soldiers were the primary targets of posters like the ones below, which appealed to patriotism, family, morality, manly pride and outright fear to get enlisted men to take steps to avoid venereal disease (VD) — including throwing out dubious “facts” like “98% of all procurable women have venereal disease” that tried to make sexual intercourse with women look as scary as possible. The message is frightening, but the posters are colorful, charismatic and downright charming.


Click any of the posters to view larger versions
syphilis.jpg syphilis1936.jpg syphilis1940d.jpg syphilis1936b.jpg syphilis5.jpg syphilis3.jpg syphilis8.jpg syphilis9.jpg vd12.jpgsyphilis11.jpg  syphilis1937b.jpg syphilis1940.jpg syphilis1940m.jpg vd.jpg vd1946b.jpg syphilis1936c.jpg syphilis1940p.jpgsyphilis1940f.jpg syphilis1937c.jpgsyphilis1940i.jpg  syphilis1940n.jpg syphilis1938.jpgsyphilis1942.jpg syphilis1939.jpg syphilis1943.jpg syphilis1940t.jpgvd3.jpg vd7.jpg syphilis1940s.jpg vd5.jpg syphilis1940o.jpgsyphilis1940u.jpg vd2.jpg vd11.jpg vd9.jpg vd1937.jpg vd1940.jpg vd4.jpg vd1940e.jpgvd8.jpg vd13.jpg vd1942.jpg vd1940f.jpg vd1946.jpg vd1946c.jpg vd1940g.jpg vd15.jpg vd1968.jpg vd14.jpg

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