Cantwell, J.D. Images of War: British Poster 1939-45 London: HMSO, 1989

The first half of the book contains some illustrations, but is largely text covering a brief history of the Second World War. Cantwell claims that “No British poster of the Second World War had the dramatic impact or the ensuring quality of Kitchener’s ‘Your Country Needs YOU’ in the First.” But many poster slogans have never been forgotten by those who lived through the war years, but most people who DIDN’T live through that time could name at least one or two poster slogans: ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’, ‘Dig for Victory’, and ‘Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases’ – although I’m sure you can remember many more!

He claimed that “Visually, they cannot be regarded as great works of art; neither were they intended as such by the artists concerned, many of them distinguished within their own profession.” It was not only the message that was important, the posters also “tell us something about the prevailing manners and customs. They also mirror the changing fortunes of the war…”[p4]

The second half of the book is devoted to some of the many posters produced during the war, by the Ministry of Information, amongst others. The only shame is that with so many posters to choose from, and so little space, there are three or four series which are over-represented amongst the selection.

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Related Projects of Interest

There are many others working on, or have already completed, theses that are also of interest to me as a researcher in this topic, and therefore may also be of interest to others.

• Boon, T., ‘Film and contestation of public health in interwar Britain ‘, PhD, 1999
• Chapman, J., ‘Official British Film Propaganda during the Second World War’, PhD, 1995
• Carruthers, S.L., ‘Propaganda, publicity and political violence: the presentation of terrorism in Britain, 1944-60′, PhD, 1994
• Davies, S.R., ‘Propaganda and popular opinion in Soviet Russia, 1934-41′, D.Phil, 1994
• Efstathiadou, A., ‘The Art of Seeing: visual representation of women during WWII in Greece and UK’, PhD, in progress
• Fisher, S. J. ‘The Blitz and the Bomber Offensive: A Case Study in British Home Propaganda, 1939-45′, PhD, 1993
• Griange, P., ‘Monochrome Memories: Nostalgia and Style in 1990s America’, PhD, date?
• Howling, I.R.C. ”Our Soviet Friends’: the presentation of the Soviet Union in the British Media 1941-45′, M.A., 1988
• Kertesz, M.A. ‘The Enemy – British Images of the German people during the Second World War’, D.Phil, 1992
• McCarty, E.A. ‘Attitudes to women and domesticity in England, c.1939-1955′, D.Phil, 1994
• McPherson, E., ‘The impact of the Second World War on local authorities in South Lancashire 1935-45′, PhD, 1995
• Noakes, L. ‘Gender and British national identity in wartime: a study of the links between gender and national identity in Britain in the Second World War, the Falklands War and the Gulf War.’, D.Phil, 1996
• Parker, K.L. ‘Women MPs, Feminism and Domestic Policy in the Second World War’, D.Phil, 1994
• Rennie, P., ‘An investigation into the design, production and display contexts of industrial safety posters produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents during WW2′, PhD, 2004
• Royall, K., ‘Posters of the Second World War: The Fourth Arm of Defence?’, M.A., 1991
• Ryan, S.F., ‘British perceptions of the meaning of the war: the government, the public and the fate of France: 1939-42′, M.Phil, 1993
• Sinclair, G., ‘Propaganda and Churchill in the Second World War: the Making of an Icon’, PhD, in progress
• Spears, L.W., An Enquiry into the use of propaganda on the Home Front during World War Two with special reference to the role and effectiveness of the poster as a means of conveying Government policy MA, 1998
• Taylor, P.H., ‘The role of local government during the second world war, with special reference to Lancashire.’, PhD, 1992
• Taylor, P.M., ‘The projection of Britain: British overseas publicity and propaganda, 1914-1939, with particular reference to the work of the news department of the Foreign Office.’, PhD, 1978

Please contact me with your details if you are also working upon a topic of interest, at any level, and wish to be added to the list. Please provide a link to a webpage if you have one, otherwise a synopsis of your project would be good.

See theses completed and in progress for more history theses. If your university is a registered user, you can access abstracts of theses online. Mine was completed in 2004.

Min.

Released Today: “The World’s Rarest Movie Posters”

Over 283 color images of vintage movie posters include the extremely rare drive-in theater posters are featured along with the more common one-sheet size. These posters, often very different from the standard posters, were printed in smaller numbers, adding to their interest and value. Auction results from 1989-the present, and other pricing information make this a useful tool for collectors of posters who are trying to make informed purchasing decisions.
A perfect book for lovers of movies and movie posters. Here are images of some of the rarest movie posters in the world. With over 283 color images of vintage movie posters,.the extremely rare drive-in theater posters are featured along with the more common one-sheet size. These posters, often very different from the standard posters, were printed in smaller numbers, adding to their interest and value. All of these posters have less than ten known copies in existence, and many have only one or two known examples. Posters of such favorite movies as “”Alien,”" “”Caddy Shack,”" and the “”Attack of the 50-Foot Woman”" are included, with iconic movie stars Marilyn Monroe, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Auction results from 1989-the present, and other pricing information make this a useful tool for collectors of posters who are trying to make informed purchasing decisions.”

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Soviet Posters: The Sergo Grigorian Collection

by Maria Lafont (2007)

“This massive book of Soviet propaganda posters, many rare and never before published, is at once a revealing historical document and a sublime example of graphic art at its best.

Dating from 1917 to the beginning of the Cold War, the posters in this book feature the work of such major Russian ground-breaking avant-garde designers as El Lissitzky and Alexander Rodchenko as well as extraordinary works by anonymous artists. Presented in full color, the 250 posters gathered here range in themes from warnings about the dangers of alcohol abuse and the creeping Nazi menace to illustrations of utopian harmony and the Soviet industrial machine. A brief illustrated introduction offers a chronological overview of the period that produced such eloquent art, which has long been a major source of inspiration to artists and designers.”

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Sergo Grigorian Collection

“This collection boasts more than 1000 Soviet political posters spanning the whole Soviet era from February 1917 to December 1991.

Sergo Grigorian has meticulously constructed a collection of political posters, deliberately disregarding other interesting Soviet themes such as cinema, circus, theatre, sports and advertising (except those with clear underlying political meaning). In addition, Sergo Grigorian collects a wide range of literature and photographic materials related to the Soviet poster. Most recent acquisitions are found at the top of the general list of posters.

You can view the collection by catalogue number, year and author. All the posters are divided into groups and subgroups by category, historical period, author, series (e.g. The Fighting Pencil series), place of publication or edition, style, technique of manufacture etc.”

Visit site

Printing Methods

A number of different poster printing methods were available by the Second World War, outlined here:

Chromolithograph
Based upon the principles of lithography, a separate stone or plate was made for each colour. The final colour image resulted from the build-up of successive, individual colour printings. It was associated with the production of posters from the 1850s to the 1930s.

Handmade
One-off designs generally produced within competitions by, for instance, employees or children.

Intaglio Printing
Generic term for printing processes where an image is etched or engraved into the surface of a plate. The plate is then covered with ink, wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines, with the impression then made direction onto paper. Photogravure is one of the key processes produced by this means.

Lithograph
Printing method based on the principle that oil and water do not mix. Using a greasy medium, an image is drawn on a flat surface of fine-grained porous limestone or zinc plate. The stone or plate is then dampened and inked. The water repels ink from most the surface so that the ink adheres only to the drawn lines. Dampened paper is applied to the stone or plate and rubbed with a special press to make the final print. This was a development that enabled the cheap and cost-effective mass printing of colour image and is the most common method for posters.

Offset-Lithograph
A popular commercial method of printing where the image to be printed is transferred (offset) first from the cylindrical metal plate on to a rubber-coloured cylinder and then from this cylinder on to the paper surface. Capable of printing on a variety of paper surfaces, on both sides of the paper, in four colours (can be simultaneous), in a variety of sizes. Small machines are available as in-house printing presses to commercial organisations to a maximum size of A3 (297 x 420mm).

Photogravure
Detailed intaglio prints made by a commercial photographic process. Varying depths of recessed dots are engraved into a copper-plated steel cylinder, filled with ink, surplus ink removed from the surface, and then transferred directly to the printed surface. A high-quality process particularly used for the production of long-run magazines and packaging.

Photo-Lithograph
A process whereby a photograph is taken of an original painting. Essentially the same process as lithography, or offset-lithography.

Silk-Screen
Also known as serigraphy, a method favoured by fine art printmakers, . Developed into the modern printing technique of screen printing in which a printed image is made by passing ink through a screen attached to a stencil onto paper. ‘A print-making technique based on stencilling. Ink or paint is brushed through a fine screen made of silk, and masks are used to produce the design. These can be made of paper, or from varnish applied to the silk itself.

Read an article on new communications technologies and the impact this has had upon the message.

Information taken from: ‘Chromolithography’, in Livingston, A., and Livingston, I., The Thames and Hudson Encyclopaedia of Graphic Design and Designers, 1992, p.44 ,and Lucie-Smith, E. Dictionary of Art Terms, 1984, p.49, Gleeson, J., Miller’s Collecting Prints & Posters, 1997, p.154; Lucie-Smith, E., op.cit., 1984, p.104; and ‘Intaglio’, in Livingston, A., and Livingston, I., op.cit., 1992, p.104, Gleeson, J., op.cit., 1997, p.92 and p.154; Lucie-Smith, E., op.cit., 1984, p.112; and ‘Lithography’, in Livingston, A., and Livingston, I., op.cit., 1992, p.123, ‘Offset litho/offset photolithography’, in Livingston, A., and Livingston, I., op.cit., 1992, p.147, Gleeson, J., op.cit., 1997, p.154; The Curtis Collection, ‘Photogravure printing process’, http://curtis-collection.com/process.html, accessed June 10 2002; and ‘Photogravure’, in Livingston, A., and Livingston, I., op.cit., 1992, p.154, Center for Applied Microtechnology, ‘Photolithography’, http://www.engr.washington.edu/~cam/PROCESSES/PDF%20FILES/Photolithography.pdf, accessed June 10 2002; and Sportsartetc, ‘Sports Art, Etc. FAQ’, http://www.sportsartetc.com/saemisc/faq.html, accessed June 10 2002, Gleeson, J., op.cit., 1997, p.154; Lucie-Smith, E., op.cit., 1984, p.170; and ‘Screen printing’, in Livingston, A., and Livingston, I., op.cit., 1992, p.178.

Poster sizes

Posters came in a number of different sizes in the Second World War:

Name	Size in inches	Size in centimetres
Quarter Crown	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Demy	8 ½” x 5 ½”	21 ½ x 13 cm
Mini Quad	12” x 16”	31 x 41cm
(Unknown)	13” x 9”	33 x 23 cm
Crown	15” x 20”	38 x 50cm
Single Crown	15” x 20” (same as Crown)	38 x 50cm (same as Crown)
Crown Folio (CF)	15” x 10”	38 x 26cm
Double Crown (DC)	30” x 20”	76 x 51 cm
Royal	20” x 25”	50 x 64 cm
British half sheet	22” x 28”	56 x 76cm
British one sheet	27” x 40”	74 x 151cm
Quad Crown (QC)	30” x 40”	76 x 102 cm
Double Royal (DR)	40” x 25”	102 x 64 cm
Quad	40” x 30”	102 x 75 cm
Quad Crown Broadside	40” x 30”	102 x 76cm
Quad Royal (QR)	40” x 50”	102 x 127 cm
4 sheet	40” x 60”	151 x 101cm
Single Sheet	60” x 40”	152 x 102 cm
16 sheet	120” x 80”	200 x 300 cm
32 sheet	120” x 160”	304 x 406 cm
48 sheet	120” x 240”	304 x 609 cm

Vertical dimensions should precede width, although in some cases this was not clear.

Information for this table is taken from: Moriarty, C., Rose, J., and Games, N., Abram Games: Graphic Designer – Maximum Meaning, Minimum Means, 2003, p.187; Onslow’s Auctions, Catalogue, PS3103/99, March 31 1999, P&D, ‘Print and Display Ltd. – Design Den – Outdoor Specs’, http://www.printanddisplay.ie/new_designDen_outdoorSpecs1.htm, accessed August 17 2002; Primedia ‘Primedia Outdoor – Material Specs’, http://www.primeoutdoor.co.za/material.cfm, accessed August 17 2002; Learn About Movie Posters ‘British Posters’, http://www.learnaboutmovieposters.com/index/foreign/british.asp, Accessed August 17 2002; Gleeson, J., Miller’s Collecting Prints & Posters, 1997, p.150; ‘Paper Sizes’, Livingston, A. and Livingston, I., The Thames and Hudson Encyclopaedia of Graphic Design and Designers, 1992, p.150, 162; Edkins, J., ‘Printing Terms’, http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/units/print.htm, accessed August 17 2002.

Mock the Week: Mocks David Cameron Poster

If you get a chance (probably available in the UK til Wednesday), check out Mock the Week for last week – excellent humour re: David Cameron’s new poster campaign – they got about 6 minutes of mileage out of it. The real poster is visible on 760 billboards across the UK… this was Dara’s interpretation of what the poster should have said… Very scathing that it’s all personality, no policies… hmmm, a certain Conservative MP made the same error post-war (Winston Churchill’s 1945 campaign was all about personality, Labour was all about policy!)

Do David Cameron’s New Posters Work?

A great piece from the Telegraph, which I thought was a staunchly Conservative paper:

“If I were David Cameron, the first thing I would do is sack my advertising agency. The new poster is an utter disaster: it’s so obviously been airbrushed and he looks like a rosy-faced cherub, not a prospective prime minister. They were bonkers to do it, and he was a fool to let them. The very act of airbrushing is a deceit, whichever way you look at it, and for a politician to have that done says: “I’m not happy with the face I have and the face that I’m showing to you, the voters.”

The whole problem with politicians today is that we never believe a word that comes out of their mouths, and we don’t feel they understand us or our priorities. Presenting us with this fake, high-gloss image of perfection suggests that the Conservatives have little understanding of what’s going on in the real world.”

Extract from “Chapter 2: Placing the British Experience of the Propaganda Poster in Context”

As I prepare materials for ‘Film History’, it seems a good time to go back to my thesis and access the section of the varying art movements leading to British graphic design styles as the Second World War broke out.

(c) Bex Lewis, 2004

This next section draws on the methodological framework outlined in chapter one to think about aspects of form and style. It sees poster design as an encoding through which ‘truths’ were produced, and form and style as social and political entities through which ‘power’ works. We will analyse the encoding of the visual in terms of the utilitarian, the disruption of traditional ideas, the political, and as a medium for transmitting ideas. Here, we will illustrate ways in which poster design disrupts notions of high art and images produced for the populace. This relates to one ‘contest’ between artists and designers over the power to define the poster and the way it later drew on older traditions of ‘high’ art. Here, we will trace the ‘institutionalisation’ of poster design in terms of groups’ power to produce posters. As the Introduction outlined, there is a wide ranging debate about the purpose of a poster, and indeed what constitutes a poster itself, is. This is partly dependent on the differing views as to what can be considered the predecessors and origins of the poster: ‘[i]n one sense the poster is a modern invention; in another it is as old as history.’ Some have identified forerunners and precedents for the poster. It ‘could be said that any pictorial representation publicly displayed has something of the poster in it, especially if the object is propaganda.’[1] This has led to diverse identifications such as cave paintings,[2] biblical precedents,[3] evidence from the previous ‘industrialised’ nations, [4] shop signs,[5] printed notices,[6] and political cartoons.[7] Most of these, however, were produced singly. It can be argued that the poster only became a truly modern mass medium in the nineteenth century, having developed as societies and technologies evolved.