From Abstinence To Consumption: America in the Post-War Period

Figure 1:

The first image, derived from a January 1945 issue of Time, reveals the culture of restraint and sacrifice––as well as inconvenience––that pervaded the American culture of WWII. Here, the Pullman company is not advertising the appeal of its rail services, but rather advising vacationing American families to stay at home and avoid the exhausted resources of the private rail travel industry. Pullman discourages consumers with a dire depiction of the past winter, in which the overextended train industry failed to support the influx of traveling soldiers and vacationing Americans. The advertisement suggests that families stay at home over the holidays, making a small sacrifice to expedite the return of American soldiers and thus assist the war effort. “Pleasure travel,” Pullman asserts, “is still something to look forward to rather than enjoy right now.” The image illustrates a general culture of self-restraint that seems not only tolerated by celebrated as patriotic. The supplication “Keep on Buying War Bonds––Keep on Keeping Them!” has actually become a permanent fixture of Pullman’s logo.

Figure 2:

The long awaited “pleasure travel” alluded to in the first image seems to have come to fruition in the subsequent decade, as is evidenced by the second advertisement for British Overseas Airways Corporation printed in Time in 1955. The image reveals several distinct features of 1950s culture. It seems the burgeoning post-war American economy has come to engender a culture of unfettered consumption. Leisure travel is no longer an unattainable commodity; on the contrary, it is being thrust upon Americans with unprecedented abundance and incentive. In the ad, the young wife’s outstretched arm draws the reader’s attention to another commercial airplane taking off or landing. This implicit profusion of consumer resources, coupled with the promise of massive discounts (advertised as $1680 in “’family-fare’ savings”), suggests to the reader that commercial airlines are not only encouraging, but virtually giving away vacation travel. Furthermore, the material comfort of the family depicted in the B.O.A.C. advert is a stark contrast to the asceticism of their War-era counterparts. The boy wields a personal camera, the grandmother dons pearls; they all wear charismatic smiles. The middle class family has transcended class hierarchy to appear almost presidential.

Beyond the obvious cultural distinctions revealed in the two portrayals of Americans vacationing, the images also highlight similarities between the middle class lifestyle of Americans in 1945 and 1955. In both images, the family nucleus remains at the microcosmic center of American culture. Whether in the living room or on vacation, the image of the cohesive family relationship exudes intimacy and camaraderie. Affectionate physical contact and proximity in both depictions suggest an enduring closeness cultivated during the War, still redolent 10 years later.