Use of Art in 20th Wartime Propaganda

I have chosen some images from The Great War and World War 2 and will analyse them to give an overall idea of how images and art were used to influence the population. 

The images I have chosen show the war effort on the Home Front.

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The propaganda stamp "remember always ... nothing German “shows Lady Britannia pointing to a sinking sink. The implication here is that by not buying anything German, Britain will defeat Germany.  Lady Britannia is shown to appeal to a sense of patriotism.

This is a famous poster from the 1914-1918 war.

The word GO is the first thing to strike the eye as we look at the poster. Brave soldiers are marching past the window and England’s green and pleasant land stands in the background with its rolling hills. The implication is that the soldiers are fighting for their country. The main feature however is to play on men’s role of protecting their women and children. A taller woman is blonde. Though fearful, she comforts the brunette women who is anxiously by her side. The child is a boy with curls to show his babyhood and vulnerability. He hangs on to the ladies' skirts as he needs protecting and comforting.

 In the poster above, the intention is to spur support for the war effort amongst the women left at home, coping alone. Encouraging the women to provide two slices of bread less per day was to reduce the amount of wheat needed and therefore imported. The use of ships in the background and also U Boats gives the message of helping against the German menace. Once again a child is included in the picture to appeal to protective instincts."Defeat the ‘U’ Boat “ is in black letters to instil an element of fear.

Note the use of a child and food. It is a basic instinct to feed our children. 

Yet again a child is used in British WW1 propaganda posters. This time though, religion enters in. The child is praying for a brave daddy and as she prays a shaft of heavenly light beams down on the anxious mother and child as if in an answer to their prayer about the Hun. The word "Help " is in large white letters in the glow of the celestial beam.

The protective instincts of men are again called into play.

My goodness how 25 years between the start of 2 world wars changed the perception of women’s roles! We move from the 1914 weak, anxious image of women at home looking after the house and saving a slice of bread or two, to strong women able to take on any job in factories, on the land or anything else for that matter. 

The muscles are being flexed, there are no children there to suggest that a woman is fulfilled in life only if she is a wife and mother. The lady pictured is in a work overall which would have traditionally been a man's item. Her female defining feature of long hair is out of the picture and tied back. 

Seriously, where would Britain have been without its Land Army who bravely toiled and kept the nation fed?

Unlike WW1 home front posters, this WW2 poster shows a smiling woman, happy to "do her bit " to help the war effort. This image also shows women in roles which were traditionally male. Furthermore, this is evidence of how soldiers, weary and on leave, were expected to help out on the farms to feed Britain. 

The poster above returns to the idea of women on the home front but this time, unlike WW1 women, this lady is helping in a happy positive way by preserving food to help. The pretty blonde child is in the picture so the idea of feeding our children is here. But not only does this wonderful lady preserve food, she also GROWS it too. Mother and daughter are in matching clothes to give an idea of oneness. 

This poster shows women in the WAAF, Women's Air Force. While the woman is taking on a role traditionally done by men to help the war effort, note that she has not lost her “femininity“.  Her eyebrows are plucked to perfection, her lipstick is applied. The message here in this poster is that you can still be a woman and join the forces. The picture is next to a woman in pretty clothes.

So often we see the 2 world wars from a soldiers perspective and I wanted here to show the Home Front perspective but how it was “sold" to the those at home by a manipulative government.