This poster, created by the British government, took still another approach. Here, the ideal of British womanhood is suggested through the depiction of its implied opposite, a cruel German nurse. With German officers looking on approvingly, an older, unattractive woman is shown deliberately increasing the suffering of a wounded soldier. Thus the image highlighted the immorality of the enemy, at the same time that it encouraged viewers to imagine themselves demonstrating British superiority through gentle, compassionate nursing.
(World War I propaganda poster (color litho), David Wilson [1873–1935]/Private Collection/The Bridgeman Art Library)
Questions to Consider
What qualities did the artist associate with German women? What qualities did he or she imply were characteristic of British women?
Which of the four posters you’ve examined do you think might have been most effective? Why?
Which of the posters, in your opinion, was likely the most effective? Why? You may find it helpful to review the section “The Home Front” in Chapter 28 of your textbook before you begin.
