Image Analysis Exercise

Poster by Savile Lumley (1915) 

The Uncle Sam Range (1876) Advertising Image by Schumacher & Ettlinger, New York

These two posters were created for different purposes however there are many similarities to both of these posters which I will be discussing in this analysis.

The poster by Savile Lumley was created in 1915 during the First World War, portraying the post war lifestyle. We know that propaganda posters or recruitment posters like this was essential during this time as they helped to attract young men to join the armed forces. We know that the poster was aimed at men because the question at the bottom of the poster asks what “Daddy” did in the Great War. The “Great War” of Lumley’s question projects forward that the war that was going on will become this great, big, significant event in history which encourages people to join so they don’t ‘miss out’.

The use of the sharp font and capitalisation to the word “you” contrasts with the neat, lowercase and italic font style of the question. This gives the "you" emphasis and draws the audience in because it is as though the poster is asking them what contributions they personally made in the war, guilt tripping people who didn't play a role in the war. The way that the daughter is asking the father the question also shows the traditional and expected gender roles of this time. As the head of the family, the poster is saying that it is their responsibility, that it is a good and the right thing for them to join as it will set a good example for their children. This poster therefore has a very strong and powerful message and puts the men of this time on a lot of pressure and guilt because of the poster's tone of emotional blackmail.

The poster is very patriotic which is displayed by the wealth of the family and the boy’s re-enactment of the war with his toys; both clearly showing victory for England. As well as putting pressure on people, this image is also promoting a lifestyle. It is saying if you do your duty in the war, this could be the lifestyle that you’d live. The Tudor Rose Emblem on the curtain further demonstrate the patriotism of this poster.

Like Lumley’s poster, the Uncle Sam Range cooker advert promises a better lifestyle; the ‘The American Dream’ that is displayed by the similar uses of patriotic colouring and symbols which in this case is the eagle, stars and stripes instead of the rose emblem. The advert shows that you could live this lifestyle of the upper-class, because of the wealth and power it displays (such as the ‘negro’ slave) through the purchasing of this product.

This poster is as though trying to sell America as a brand, conveying its pride and that it is the more superior force which is different to the message Lumley’s poster is putting across. This cultural superiority on America is displayed through the mocking and stereotyping of the list of menu from different countries which could be seen as racism today.

Similarly as the war poster, the image of this advert is very patriotic. Patriotism is done through the colouring and the clock in the background that is showing the year of independence. The clock also shows the year that the advert was created, marking the hundred year mark, and the feast on the table shows they are celebrating the years they have helped to “feed the world”. The American theme that is running throughout the poster is further carried out by the Wild Western font that is used maybe to further convey the pride that they have for their country's history and achievements.

Both of these images appear to have men as their target audience, as Uncle Sam is clearly seen as the important character and is positioned in the centre of the poster whilst the woman is serving the food for the guests of "Uncle Sam's little dinner party".