Abstinence Wins – Early 20th-Century Temperance Promotional Card

Abstinence Wins – Early 20th-Century Temperance Promotional Card

Issued by the Board of Temperance, Washington D.C.

This original early–20th century temperance promotional card was produced by the Board of Temperance to advertise their full-size 17×22-inch “Abstinence Wins” poster—a vivid illustration promoting clean living, strength, and sobriety. Featuring a determined football player charging downfield, the imagery reflects a popular moral strategy of the era: connecting athletic success with a life free of alcohol.

Cards like this were distributed in churches, schools, and civic organizations between roughly 1915 and 1930 to encourage the purchase of the larger poster. While the posters themselves occasionally surface, these small handbills were rarely saved, making surviving examples exceptionally scarce.

This card is an especially appealing copy. The colors remain bright, the illustration sharp, and only light age toning is present. At the lower edge is a date stamp reading “JAN 8 1938,” likely marking its receipt or cataloging by an institutional archive. The reverse carries a bold purple stamp from the Alcohol Reference Library, 1730 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, Illinois, giving this piece added provenance and historical depth.

A striking piece of temperance-era ephemera—ideal for collectors of recovery history, prohibition material, or early American social-movement print culture.

Please review all photos for condition.