SHOCKING IMAGES – On Three Poster-Size Anti-War Ads ** Published 80 Years Ago

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SHOCKING IMAGES – On Three Poster-Size Anti-War Ads ** Published 80 Years Ago:
$45.00

1930s Anti-War Poster Size Images
(original)

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THE FRUITS OF WAR:

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THE SOLDIERS TO LOSE LIMBS

and

THE CHILDREN TO DIE NEEDLESSLY

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Protesters have long known that unless they do something to grab attention, they will be ignored. But getting attention isn't always easy, and it sometimes requires doing something to shock the sensibilities of the average person. That is exactly what these poster-ad images sought to do! Unfortunately, the anti-war activists of the 1930s couldn't possibly do anything that would be even remotely as shocking as the impending war that they were warning against, one that would kill more than 60 million human beings!These three poster-size anti-war pieces feature very artistic illustrations that are meant to shock the sensibilities of the observer. They all include an anti-war message below the image, each measures 14 inches by 11 inches overall, and they were all ads produced by World Peaceways in the mid-1930s [The poster-like quality of these ads is no accident, because the original name of this pacifist organization was "World Peace Posters"!]

We often think of the "shock" type of anti-war images as having been born in the 1960s during the years of protest against the Vietnam War, and indeed there were certainly some very startling poster-images created back then. But these three vintage images, clearly designed to shock and even embarrass the viewer, preceded those by three decades. The theme that they portray is one of the brutal callousness of War, reflected in the needless deaths of innocents and the all do frequent abandonment of the soldiers who returned home disabled. And while these images were meant to project the misery of World War One onto a second worldwide conflict that the activists feared was only a few years off, sadly the message these images convey continues to be a valid one today, in the many conflicts raging three quarters of a century later.

Titled "A Hospital Would Save His Life," "Hello Sucker" and "Nothing's Too Good For Our Boys," this antique advertising art was meant to convey the futility of war as a means of settling conflicts, and the messages accompanying these images make that point explicit.

These irreverent anti-war images were created during the 1930s, a time when the horrors of World War One were still vivid memories, but when a renewal of catastrophic war was predicted by many. The specter of another World War gave birth to a number of pacifist organizations, one of which was World Peaceways.

World Peaceways was regarded as the most businesslike of the American peace groups that grew up in the period between World War One and World War Two, and it was headed up by a dynamic grandmother lauded for her pacifist achievements over two decades. This organization was incorporated in 1931 as World Peace Posters, Inc. and changed its name to World Peaceways, Inc. in 1932 to reflect the expansion of its efforts to other media beyond just posters and billboards, to include magazine advertising and radio programming, putting its faith in free advertising, with some of its ads turning out to be quite controversial. Operating on an annual $100,000 budget, World Peaceways sought to use the media to counteract the "artificial glories of war" and one of its cherished goals was the creation of a cabinet-level post for a Secretary of Peace, an effort which was ultimately unsuccessful.

Of the two Disabled Vets images, one was created by Albert Dorne (1906-1965) and the other identified only by initials. Dorne was a twentieth century American artist who rose from the slums of New York City to become one of the most respected illustrators in the field of advertising art. After a childhood plagued by health problems, Dorne dropped out of school to help support his family. After numerous jobs, including a short stint as a pro boxer, he began working in the field of advertising. After learning this trade, he struck out on his own. Soon after this, his artwork began appearing in major magazines and eventually he came to be recognized as one of the best artists in the field of advertising illustration. These are three really timeless pieces, created in the shadow of an approaching conFlagration of horrendous proportions, with a message that is as relevant today as it was the better part of a century ago!

These items are original – they are not modern reprints of any sort – they are ads that filled entire oversize pages in Fortune magazine over three quarters of a century ago.

I’m a longtime collector, not a dealer, and over the past 55+ years I have collected a great variety of historical memorabilia. After retiring, I decided it was time to sell some of the items from my various collections, and I have found a very good way to reach other collectors who might be interested in some of these.

Please see the comments in my “response” for how others have evaluated the quality of other items from my collection that I have previously sold on .

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