500 Words Compare and Contrast Two Sources

In this essay I will compare and contrast two posters, one by Savile Lumley (SL) and the other by Schumacher & Ettlinger (SE). 

The first is a propaganda piece, used to convince men to sign up to the British army. It was produced at a time where the army was suffering heavy losses and soon after conscription was introduced in the Military Service Act 1916. Posters like these were vital to the success of the army. It is effective as it uses devices to play on consciences of the audience; the male character avoids eye contact with the child, instead making a connection with the viewer by staring directly at them. It reminds the reader that this war would not be forgotten; did they want to embarrass and disappoint their children by not contributing? The toy soldiers are used to undermine the serious of the war, however in hindsight this is ironic as phrases like ‘lions led by donkeys’ suggested that the soldiers were just toys to those in power.

The second is advertising a range. It took advantage of a time of celebration of America and became the all American range; ‘The Uncle Sam Range’. Uncle Sam (initials US) was a personification of the American government. The artwork relies on the reputation of a prosperous America to sell the range as the celebration of the great food the American range produced coincides with Independence Day. The scene is set in Philadelphia, which was the epicenter for celebration 100years after the adoption of the formal declaration of Independence 1776; it decreed that the 13 colonies were separate from the British. It stated ‘all men were created equal’ which appears ironic in this poster due to its racist and mocking tone; the bill on the table goes beyond stereotypes to suggest what each country eats. The countries seated around the table are portrayed like inferior children; reminding the audience that America had succeeded in dominating the west as well as suggesting Africa is the biggest mouth to feed. As it was produced just after the civil war it was insensitive and offensive as although the union victory had freed 4 million slaves, the legacy of slavery continued. It also touches a raw nerve with the mentioning of potatoes as it was 20 years after the Irish Potato Famine in which 1 million died and another million emigrated. These factors were all used to exert American cultural superiority suggesting that with this range you will never go hungry like other nations.

SL’s poster uses direct language; common in propaganda posters. It uses a rhetorical question to grab the reader’s attention and an innocent style of font to reflect the child’s question and make the war seem less daunting; whereas SE used saloon font to remind the viewer of Americas dominance in the ‘wild wild west’. The language used creates an emotive response in the male audience as it leads them to think of their own or future children and how they would disappoint them by not joining the force. At the time there had been heavy losses so the language projects future success calling it the ‘Great War’; it implies that it is their patriotic duty to sign up.

Imagery is used to convey a patriotic message. SLs poster contains the Tudor rose; the plant badge of England, and the fleur de lys; representing purity and right direction as well as England’s loyalty to their French allies. The second poster uses the American flag and bald eagle; which was chosen as the US emblem due to its long life, majestic looks and great strength; it was also believed to only exist in their continent. 


Both posters use realistic illustration to make the scenes and characters within them more relatable; both depicting white males as this was the majority of their target audience. Contemporary men were in control of the household and the money; they would have made the ‘important’ decisions such as purchasing the range or going to war.  It was their patriotic duty as men to fight for the future of Britain; represented by the children characters, but was aimed at all classes even though it portrays an affluent family scene, this was because it was selling an affluent lifestyle. The range advert uses the male character Uncle Sam, positioned in the centre, being waited on having food at his demand, thanks to the range, to appeal to contemporary men. Both posters also portray a homely atmosphere which helps to sell the lifestyle you potentially could have if you follow the posters; the easy life could be yours as long as you do your duty by either signing up to the army, or buying The Uncle Same Range.