The 1940s Archive

Here is a collection of ads, illustrations, and photographs published in the 1940s.
We also have a dedicated page about WWII.

Hi-res and high-quality digital files professionally restored. Ready for use up to large-sized print.


Browse all “1940s” Stories

Cadillac’s World War II Iconic Advertisements

Cadillac’s World War II Iconic Advertisements

On January 16, 1942, 39 days after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt, with an executive order, created the War Production Board (WPB) to convert peacetime industrial production to meet the needs of the war.
Only 55 days after automobile production ended, Cadillac delivered the first tank. Just 17 days later, the second was shipped. Production was beginning to roll and soon to become a flood.

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American Streamlined Trains. Striking Ads of the 1940s

American Streamlined Trains. Striking Ads of the 1940s

From the mid-thirties, American railroads developed deluxe passenger trains, the streamliners. Some became legendary and profoundly influenced popular culture by focusing on concepts such as power, speed, technological progress, comfort, and luxury service.

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