The 1940s and 1950s

Task

Research illustration, graphics and posters in the second World War.

In this research task I am focusing on the posters and graphics in Britain during WWII. I chose the posters in Britain specifically because I always loved the 'Dig For Victory' slogan and its meaning, especially at school when learning about the War and England during that time.

In the WWII propoganda posters throughout Britan, the general message was that 'work will bring victory'. People were encouraged to grow their own foodstuffs and be careful of their use of rationing, due to limited trading. There was also a lot of gender-specific posters, aimed at women who remained at home, encouraging them to work in the fields or factories (in the place of men), and to be content sending their children away for evacuation during the Blitz.

Figure 1, Dig For Victory, Unknown, 1941

This poster became the signature of the 'Dig for Victory' movement throughout the War, and after this initial use, the slogan was used in many other poster formats during the War. The hugely bold sanserif text is really in your face and reads much like the title of an epic movie. The vibrant red colour combined with the black and white contrast of the photograph is eye-catching and would have added to the attractiveness of the poster, capable of capturing the nation's eye perfectly.

"The importance of self-sufficiency was emphasised- with a note of wry humour- in bestowing epic grandeur to the mundane task of kitchen gardening." 1

Figure 1, Grow Your own Food, Abram Games, 1942

This was another poster reinforcing home cultivation of crops and other foods. The symbolism in this poster is strong, with the obvious trowel and shovel transforming into a knife and fork at the table end, showing the importance of putting your own food on your own table. Again the type is large and bold, contrasting with the lighter coloured background. This, again, would have caught people's eye and was an effective way of advertising.

Figure 3, Women of Britain Come into the Factories, Philip Zec, 1941

When conscription took place in Britain, there were hardly any men available to fill the spaces in the workplace they previously held. Thus, women were the country's port of call, and so a new perspective on advertising around women was needed. The above poster encouraging women to seek work in factories was a far cry from previous propoganda put out by the government- posters about women were usually extremely sexist and sterotypical, especially in 'anti-gossip material' burnished with the phrase 'careless talk costs lives'. In these posters, women were usually the focus of the image, adhering to the stereotype that all women are silly gossips and should be told repeatedly to 'keep mum'. 

"The National Service Act in December 1941- obliging all unmarried women under 30 to join the forces or enter war production- also demanded fresh perspectives in British propoganda. The hackneyed depictions of feminine vulnerability of earlier posters gave way to recruiting images of women exhibiting traditonally masculine virtues of confidence and determination, befitting the male domains they were entering." 2

A constant feature throughout most of the posters and propoganda of this time is the prominence of the text. Wether sanserif or serif, the text is almost always in an obvious, eye catching position, of a solid, contrasting colour and featuring powerful language relating to the content.

List of Illustrations

Figure 1 Dig For Victory, Unknown, 1941, SLOCOMBE, R. British Posters of the Second World War, Imperial War Museum, 2012, p.34
Figure 2 Grow Your own Food, Abram Games, 1942, SLOCOMBE, R. British Posters of the Second World War, Imperial War Museum, 2012, p.37
Figure 3 Women of Britain Come into the Factories, Philip Zec, 1941, SLOCOMBE, R. British Posters of the Second World War, Imperial War Museum, 2012, p.16

References

[1] SLOCOMBE, R. British Posters of the Second World War, p.34
[2] SLOCOMBE, R. British Posters of the Second World War, p.16

Bibliography

SLOCOMBE, R. British Posters of the Second World War, (2012), Imperial War Museum