1945 Philip Zec LABOUR FOR HIM

The Poster as a Political Tool (1840-Present)

The poster; as an item of design has become synonymous with activism and protest, a format that speaks a thousand voices; arguably the social media advertisement owes its existence to the work the poster had put in before it. But despite this defining influence on the world of both design and politics, in the modern form that we commonly associate the poster with, there is relatively short history; dating back to the 1840s aided by the improvement of lithographic printing. After this high-speed presses paved the way for mass production printing.3 3 Stephen Eskilson, Graphic Design: A History, 2nd ed It wasn’t until the two World Wars that (London: Laurence King Publ. Ltd, 2012), pp. the poster cemented itself as the optimal 43–47. medium for political communication,4 4 Harold Frederick images of Alfred Leete’s infamous 1914 ‘Lord Hutchison, The Poster: An Illustrated History Kitchener Wants You’ [№ 001] and Abram from 1860 (London: Studio Vista, 1968), Games’ ‘Your Britain: Fight For It’ [№ 002] p. 12.47. are instantaneously conjured in the mind when you mention political posters from the time. They were the perfect vehicle for spreading a message in a time of war, whether that be to improve national morale or encourage thriftiness, they invaded the public sphere and psyche in a way that other mediums can arguably not. Susan Sontag sums up the directive of the poster perfectly ‘A poster aims to seduce, to exhort, to sell, to educate, to convince, to appeal.’5 As what is 5 Looking Closer. 3: politics at the end of the day as the ultimate Classic Writings on Graphic Design, ed. by cattle market, the endeavour to sell your ideas Michael Bierut (New York: Allworth Press, to the public. The existence of the political 1999), pp. 196–218. poster from the 1900s and its modern-day cousin; the