Booby Trap - Syphilis and Gonorrhea Poster

This original government-issued poster warns American servicemen of the dangers of contracting venereal diseases while on leave. The image shows an attractive woman engaging with two uniformed soldiers in a bar setting, while the bold headline “Booby Trap” underscores the metaphor of sexual temptation as a hidden threat. With painterly mid-century illustration and dramatic lighting, the poster uses suggestive visual cues typical of military health propaganda—aimed not at moral judgment, but at preventing soldiers from engaging in risky encounters that could compromise operational readiness.During World War II and the early postwar period, venereal disease presented a significant medical concern among troops returning from overseas. In the absence of widespread penicillin use early in the war, infections such as syphilis and gonorrhea caused long periods of lost duty time, medical expense, and potential long-term disability. The U.S. government launched an aggressive public-health campaign targeting servicemen through posters, pamphlets, films, and base-level medical briefings. Messaging often linked sexual encounters with anonymous or casual partners to enemy threats, implying that disease could weaken the fighting force just as effectively as battlefield injuries. Even after the war, the campaign continued as troops returned home, where authorities feared that untreated infections could spread into the civilian population.The artist, signed here as E. Paris, contributed to a number of mid-century health-education and government-issued posters. Though biographical documentation is limited, artists working in this genre commonly produced illustrations for public service campaigns, military publications, and commercial print ateliers, developing a pragmatic style designed to communicate quickly and convincingly to enlisted audiences.This is an Original Vintage Poster, it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed and in excellent condition. There is slight unevenness in the side margins We guarantee the authenticity of all our posters.This poster is exceptionally rare.