Image Analysis Exercise

Compare and contrast The Uncle Sam Range (1876) with Savile Lumley’s wartime poster (1915)

The fonts used on the posters are different from each other because of the purpose behind the posters. The poster done in 1915 produced by Savile Lumley using italics to show the text is speech and the people in the poster and in conversation. The word ‘you in underlines and bold, standing out from the rest of the sentence. This is to engage the audience, and to show it’s aimed directly at the viewer. This is typical of a British propaganda poster and emphasises the images showing the father looking directly at the audience.

This differs from The Uncle Sam Range (1876) advertising image; the image uses bold capitals. This feels very typical of America, as they want to show they a bigger and better than anywhere else. The bold text is also used to stand out against the busy illustration behind it. The image itself is very patriotic suggesting that if you were to buy the cooker it’s advertising then you’ll be doing your duty towards your country.  It looks like America are trying to establish itself in the world; the list of counties and meals listed on the roll of paper shows they’re trying to suggest they can feed the world, or that this cooker can cook anything for anyone.

The British poster is also very patriotic to England because of its use of colours and subtle clues like the boy on the floor playing with the Queen’s guards and the roses on the curtains. Both are typically British.

Most posters are aimed at the men in the family. The American one because its suggesting that if you were to buy to cooker then you’ll be long after and pervading for your family. You’ll be the Uncle Sam of your own family.

The British poster is aimed at middle class. You can tell by the posh clothes and furniture. During the Great War men weren’t made to join the army, they relied on volunteers. Most working class men would of joined so this poster makes the upper class people think that they are no different to them and should also join.

The British poster is very obviously aimed at the father of the family.

The children in the poster ask ‘daddy, what did you do in the Great War?’ This uses children to guilt trip the men in the family to join up and help with the great world war. The poster uses the little girl as a metaphor because it’s really the government asking the men to join the army. The poster is set in the future, implying that Britain will have victory, to persuade that if they join it’ll be for the better good and they will be seen as a hero. Both posters promise a better life and trade off the idea of national identity and making your country proud.