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Rare original World War II-era 20 x 27.75 poster featuring a portrait of Tuskegee Airman Robert W. Deiz by artist Betsy Graves Reyneau, showing him in his flight suit between bold text, “Keep us flying!” and “Buy War Bonds.” Issued as an official U.S. Treasury poster in 1943 (WFD 874) and distributed by the U.S. Government Printing Office. Professionally conservation-mounted and linen-backed to a slightly larger size. Rolled and in fine condition.
Unusual among wartime posters, the identity of the serviceman depicted is known, lending the image a specific historical and personal dimension. Robert W. Deiz (1919–1992) was a U.S. Air Force officer and accomplished combat pilot who flew more than 90 missions during the Second World War and continued his military career for two decades. The poster highlights Deiz as a representative of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military pilots in United States history, trained in Tuskegee, Alabama, and recruited from across the country during a period defined by segregation and Jim Crow laws. Their distinguished combat record and discipline in the air made them enduring symbols of achievement and service.
The artist, Betsy Graves Reyneau (1888-1964), was an accomplished painter and social activist who devoted much of her work to issues of equality and representation. Arrested in 1917 as part of the women’s suffrage movement, she later lived in France, where she aided Jewish citizens during the early years of Nazi occupation. Returning to the United States during the war, she used her government commission to produce imagery that highlighted the contributions of Black Americans, later continuing this focus through portraits of significant historical figures.
