1942.05.24 “Look who’s rapping the storm pipes now” by Paul R Carmack

1942.05.24 “Look who’s rapping the storm pipes now”
by Paul R Carmack (1895-1977)
11 x 17 in., crayon and ink on board
Coppola Collection

Paul Carmack was a staff cartoonist for the Christian Science Monitor.

In early 1942, Americans were being told, often for the first time, that shortages were going to be real and personal.

Just months after the U.S. enters the war following Attack on Pearl Harbor, the government is scrambling to reorganize the entire economy for war production. Civilian consumption (especially fuel) is suddenly in tension with military need.

Coal is central because it fuels home heating (still dominant in much of the country in 1942), and powers railroads and industry—both critical to the war effort.

Agencies such as the Office of Price Administration was beginning to manage rationing, pricing, and consumption behavior across the civilian economy. The public service part of this: wartime planning must override normal seasonal habits.