Posters of the First World War

by David Bownes

The First World War coincided with a golden age of advertising, and throughout the conflict striking and colourful poster art was used to recruit soldiers, promote investment in the war, keep up morale - and, of course, to vilify the enemy. Prominent artists including Norman Wilkinson paired bold images to punchy text to maximise the pieces' impact, and the selection in this book offers an informative guide to the range of posters used and how British government appeals and messages were displayed around the nation. From the iconic image of Kitchener pointing and declaring 'Your Country Needs You!' to others that take less a less direct approach such as 'Daddy, What Did You Do in the War?' and 'Buy War Bonds Now!', this book puts the reader in the shoes of the First World War 'man in the street'.

Genres: World War I, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, History, Art

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

David Bownes was formerly head of collections at the London Transport Museum and assistant director (collections) at the National Army Museum.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main focus is on the posters distributed in Great Britain during the "Great War" (1914-1918), and methods used for recruitment. I would also recommend reading "Faces of the Enemy" by Sam Keen to see how advertising during war times evolved from WWI to WWII.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed this small book, with it's commentary on a range of posters from the Great War, arranged in chronological order and with a smattering of social history to accompany each one. Fascinating stuff!

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy looking at propaganda posters from various time periods. Nothing super special in this book but interesting all the same.