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Object Timeline

1942

  • Work on this object began.

1949

  • We acquired this object.

2014

2015

2025

  • You found it!

Poster, Don't Let That Shadow Touch Them

This is a Poster. It was designed by Laurence Beall Smith and published by U.S. Department of the Treasury. It is dated 1942 and we acquired it in 1949. Its medium is lithograph on paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Many artists joined the fight against fascism by designing posters to bolster American support during WWII. Lawrence Beall Smith spent time abroad during the war and his illustrations are dramatic, portraying the perceived sense of doom that many Americans felt fascism presented. Beall Smith’s style is more painterly than graphic, appealing to a viewer’s emotions for action against the enemy. The bold typography clearly conveys its message; it would be unlikely to mistake this poster for anything other than an advertisement.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Throwing Some Serious Shade.

This object was donated by Miss Louise Clémencon. It is credited Gift of Louise Clémencon.

Our curators have highlighted 3 objects that are related to this one.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 101.6 × 72.4 cm (40 in. × 28 1/2 in.)

Cite this object as

Poster, Don't Let That Shadow Touch Them; Designed by Lawrence Beall Smith (American, 1909–1989); Published by U.S. Department of the Treasury; USA; lithograph on paper; H x W: 101.6 × 72.4 cm (40 in. × 28 1/2 in.); Gift of Louise Clémencon; 1949-108-8

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition How Posters Work.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18612761/ |title=Poster, Don't Let That Shadow Touch Them |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 March 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>