Natasha Lal
Propaganda was used during the First World War to broadcast information to the public, it was used to increase the number men to enlist and encourage members of the Homefront to contribute to war funds. When comparing portrayals of masculinity and femininity the ideas of the public and private spheres play a huge role. The role of women was in the private sphere where responsibilities were to look after the home and family. The role of men was everything outside of that, in the public sphere, they would earn for their family. These understandings of gender are traditional and propaganda posters played a role in solidifying gender expectations during the War.
This slideshow of ten posters breaks down the aspects of masculinity and femininity in these posters through annotations. Each poster has an annotation in the top left corner which when clicked gives the basic information about each poster, including the artist, country of origin, and date of publishing. The title of each poster is bold and is a hyperlink to the poster so when, clicked will take you to the link of the poster to its respective online collection. Some posters have a magnifying glass annotation which when clicked will enlarge any smaller text that is hard to see.
Masculinity was shown through strength, generally these posters portrayed men in ideal and heroic ways with the aim to get more men to enlist. Femininity was shown through weakness and domestic duty, these posters were used to also get more men to enlist or show other women how they could contribute to the war effort. These posters were able to evoke emotions of guilt, heroism, and the need to fulfil one’s duty for men and feelings of pride and inclusivity for women. Looking at these posters is very important as they give an insight into what society was like for men and women during the war and how their roles as genders were solidified, through the way they were portrayed. These posters strengthened the traditional understandings of masculinity and femininity during the war, as they reflected the expectations of both genders.
Bibliography
Brett Bowles, ‘Aesthetics, Ethics, and Poster Art in World War I France and the United States’, South Central Review vol. 34, no. 3, Fall 2017, p. 73-102 http://dx.doi.org.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/10.1353/scr.2017.0027
Evan M. Caris, ‘British Masculinity and Propaganda during the First World War’, LSU Master’s Theses, Louisiana State University, 2015, https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5046&context=gradschool_theses
Jessy Ohl, ‘Seeing World War I and Poster Propaganda with Fresh Eyes’, The Public Historian, vol. 42, no. 3, August 2020, pp.114 -128, Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/article/766482
Lisa M. Todd, " 6. The Hun and the Home". In World War I and Propaganda, (Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2014), pp.137-152, doi: https://doi-org.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/10.1163/9789004264571_008
Meg Albrinck, ‘Humanitarians and He-Men: Recruitment Posters and the Masculine Ideal’,
in Pearl James (ed.), Picture This: World War I Posters and Visual Culture, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2009), pp. 312–39, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1dgn3t0.1
Brett Bowles, ‘Aesthetics, Ethics, and Poster Art in World War I France and the United States’, South Central Review vol. 34, no. 3, Fall 2017, p. 73-102 http://dx.doi.org.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/10.1353/scr.2017.0027
Evan M. Caris, ‘British Masculinity and Propaganda during the First World War’, LSU Master’s Theses, Louisiana State University, 2015, https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5046&context=gradschool_theses
Jessy Ohl, ‘Seeing World War I and Poster Propaganda with Fresh Eyes’, The Public Historian, vol. 42, no. 3, August 2020, pp.114 -128, Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/article/766482
Lisa M. Todd, " 6. The Hun and the Home". In World War I and Propaganda, (Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2014), pp.137-152, doi: https://doi-org.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/10.1163/9789004264571_008
Meg Albrinck, ‘Humanitarians and He-Men: Recruitment Posters and the Masculine Ideal’,
in Pearl James (ed.), Picture This: World War I Posters and Visual Culture, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2009), pp. 312–39, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1dgn3t0.1