1950 For Defense Blood Means Life Red Cross Korean War James Bingham

Date: 1950
Artist: Bingham, James
Size (in): 22” x 16”
Size (cm): 55.9 x 40.6
Condition: B
Linen backed: Yes

This vintage original and rare Korean War era poster was created by the artist James Bingham and issued by the American Red Cross. The poster shows the image of an Army medic giving lifesaving blood plasma to a wounded comrade under a block capital title FOR DEFENSE BLOOD means LIFE. The blood bottle held high by the medic against a dark sky has an almost supernatural glow made even more impactful by Bingham’s dramatic shadowing of the medic and his wounded comrade. The lower margin is printed “Poster 1406 (11-50)” which we take to indicate a 1950 publication date.

Far fewer posters were issued during the Korean War than during either World War One or World War Two making them much harder to find. The original owner wrote the dates “May 15-16” neatly by hand in the space provided at the bottom center suggesting this poster was probably used as part of blood drive. This poster has been professionally backed to linen with some expert touchup and repair as needed including some overpainting on the corners following the remove of some old tape. The poster has also had some overpainting in the image area at the bottom center just above where the date “May 15-16” is written. This vintage original poster still retains strong color and displays nicely. Overall condition is very good.