Description
The Keep ’Em Frying! Make It Hot for the Axis poster
Keep ’Em Frying! was made by the Work Projects Administration in Southern California for the Los Angeles County Defense Committee on Consumers’ Interest, around 1942. Cartoon heads of Japan’s leader, Hitler and Mussolini sweat in a frying pan over the flames, and the text explains why: kitchen grease contains about 10% glycerin, glycerin makes nitroglycerin, so save your fat and give it to charity or sell it to the butcher.
The national fat salvage drive began in 1942. Households saved used cooking fat in cans and took it to the butcher, and from December 1943 each pound earned four cents and two red ration points. The slogan was that one tablespoon of kitchen grease could fire five bullets.
The title plays on the wartime catchphrase “Keep ’Em Flying”. Like most WPA posters it is unsigned. Its caricatures reflect the propaganda style of the time.
Read the full history of the poster.
Restored edition
Restored from a photograph of an original print. The colour was cleaned and brought back, with folds, stains, tears and wear removed. The lettering and printed marks are kept from the original.
Sizes and options
This is a landscape poster: every print is wider than it is tall. A 20 × 28 in print hangs 28 inches wide and 20 inches tall.
- Paper print: 16.5 × 11.7 in, 28 × 20 in or 33.1 × 23.4 in (width × height)
- Framed print: 17 × 12 in, 28 × 20 in or 33 × 23 in, in a black, white or natural wood frame, ready to hang
Printed to order in the USA on 200gsm Enhanced Matte Art paper. Free Standard shipping to the US. Compare the print sizes.
More posters
See Give ’Em Both Barrels, or browse the home front collection.













