OUGD401 - Study Task 3: Image Analysis

The ‘Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War’ poster by Savile Lumley is a propaganda poster about World War One, whereas ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ image by Schumacher and Ettlinger is an advertising piece for an oven. The main similarity between the two is the fact that they are both deeply patriotic. Visually ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ is patriotic in a very obvious way, selling the American lifestyle. The colours used are mainly red, white and blue, and the wallpaper and curtains are done in the way of the American flag. It is potentially saying that this cooking range will give you this aspirational American lifestyle. In contrast the Lumley poster is patriotic in the message and not in the imagery. Although it shows a typically British setting, it is the text which makes it truly patriotic.

The Lumley poster is a piece of propaganda aimed at the men during the time of the war. It was create in 1915, which was the middle of the war, with the intention of getting these men to volunteer for the army. The setting is the potential future, with the children asking their father what he did in the war. This is a clever piece of persuasion as the father and man of the household is always seen as the breadwinner and the one who the children look up to. The text is written as if the girl is asking her father, but the ‘YOU’ is in capitals and underlined, speaking to the viewer of the poster and getting them to think about it themselves. It is almost a guilt trip, as a father would be ashamed to tell his children that he did nothing for his country.

There are small references to the past or future in both images. In the Range, there is a clock on the wall which shows the hundred years of independence, along with an eagle, which is the national bird. In the Lumley poster the whole image shows a future of British families, with upper class furniture and clothing, along with children’s toys of British soldiers. This all shows that there is belief that Britain will come out on top when the war is finished. It could also be that the child is playing with the toys as it will be something that he will look up to and aspire to be like.

The main difference is that they are on different ends of the scale on how obvious they are. The Range advertisement has a lot of little things that make up the image, and it takes a long time to realise exactly what it is. There is a play on the words ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ means the cooking range, but at first look, it could definitely mean it as the lifestyle, not the product. The Lumley poster is very obvious and simple. The text and image work well together and immediately gets across the message and makes the viewer think about it.