Aulich, J., 2018.

A Ring of Paper. East Central European Posters from the First World War: Identity and Identification

This essay discusses war posters such as those issued for war loans campaigns, charities and for the purposes of maintaining morale. Some advertising posters are included in the discussion for comparison. The essay addresses some of the following questions by examining practices of poster production in the central powers and amongst the allies. What does a red flag or imperial coat of arms tell us about the views of the population at large, in the cities, or in the countryside? What do they tell us about how the viewer sees themselves as individual subjects or their relationships to various power elites in society? What does a poster produced by a bank as part of a War Loans campaign really tell us about a shared collective or singular identity of any kind? What was it for? Where was it made? Who paid for it and why? Were advertising agencies or military authorities involved in its production? From which printing house did it issue? Who was responsible for the design and the caption? How many were printed, how were they distributed, and where were they seen? Were they part of integrated campaigns accompanied by films, postcards, press advertising, lecture series or public rallies? In other words who and what did the posters seek to address?