EDWARD MCKNIGHT KAUFFER (1890-1954) KEEP IT UNDER YOUR STETSON. 1942.

39x29¼ inches, 99x71¾ cm. John B. Stetson & Co., Philadelphia.

Condition B+ / A-: repaired tears at top edges; minor abrasions at edges; minor creases at edges and in image.

American-born Kauffer rose to prominence as a graphic designer in Great Britain where his work for Shell and the London Transport System, among others, assured him a place on the list of great 20th century graphic artists. In 1940, Kauffer returned to America where he worked on accounts for Pan American, American Airlines and other advertisers. Thanks to a proliferation of posters, "Keep it Under Your Stetson" became as common a catchphrase during World War II as "loose lips sink ships," the only difference being the former was not only a patriotic command, but also a marketing ploy. Using a photograph of a hat (it is, after all, a hat poster first and foremost), Kauffer depicts a man in profile staring at a distant factory, the inner workings of his brain are displayed like blueprints. The dark shadows around the edge of the frame add intensity and drama to the image. Kauffer 278, Design and Paper no. 29.