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Understanding the Posters
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The success of wartime propaganda posters
depends on their ability to exploit commonly
held values and viewpoints. As cultural
artifacts, the posters reveal the prevailing
attitudes of a society under the extreme
conditions of war, a factor which should
be taken into account when interpreting
their meaning.
In order to communicate well, posters must
grab the viewer's attention and deliver
a message in a matter of seconds. A poster's
ability to do this reflects the conceptual
and design choices made by its creator,
a complex arrangement of words and symbols.
In addition to images and text, the use
of composition, typography, and color can
influence meaning. Keep in mind that a poster
can be powerful with a picture alone, as
was demonstrated by the many striking images
created during the Russian Revolution for
a mostly illiterate audience.
The poster medium requires the artist use
a sort of visual shorthand and symbolism
to imply more than is shown. Some things
to look for:
- The various ways that women are
depicted: as victims, in traditional
roles as wives and mothers, ministering
to the wounded as Red Cross "angels"
of the battlefield. Though children
are not graphically portrayed as
innocent victims, some posters suggest
the threat to their lives through
the use of symbolic shadows. Children
were among the most enthusiastic
purchasers of War Savings Stamps
and are shown in some posters doing
their part for the war effort or
anxiously awaiting their father's
return from the battlefront.
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- Stereotypical representations
of the enemy: such as caricatures
of Hitler that show him in uniform
with an exaggerated moustache and
iron cross. Note also that Hitler
is often mentioned by name instead
of referring to the Nazis or the
Third Reich, as the posters tended
to personify the evil of the Nazis
in Hitler. Consider how German propaganda
posters would have depicted Hitler,
where he embodied everything good
about the Reich.
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- Symbols used for the allies:
representations of Winston Churchill
and the lion for Britain; beaver
for Canada; stars and stripes for
the United States.
Some questions to ask:
- What is the poster trying to say?
What is its main message?
- What emotions or feelings is the
poster trying to provoke?
- What techniques are used in the
poster to reinforce an idea or value?
- To what extent do you think the
poster would be successful?
- How does the poster depict the
enemy? The home nation and its allies?
- How would an enemy nation have
illustrated a negative message about
Canada or Canadians?
- How is propaganda different from
information?
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