Vintage Motivational Cards from the Early 20th Century

"Keep Calm and Carry On" is the most famous motivational poster, with "Tomorrow is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life" coming in at a close second. But back in the 1910s through the Depression-era 1930s, motivation was in its golden years. How did industrialists and business leaders get the most productivity out of their workers? Not through cost-of-living increases or profit sharing or unexpected bonuses—but through a barrage of motivational sayings.

See them repeated and hear them ringing in the ear, and that equals behavior modification at its loftiest. Today there are plenty of motivational books, posters, and other profitable ephemera (just look here), but do they hold a candle to the best of American output during the early part of the century?






















Vintage Motivational Cards from the Early 20th Century