Catalogue Number
NMLH.2023.87.2
Object Name
Poster
Title
Witches: Healers & Midwives
Date
1985
Description
The Poster Collective was a collective formed in 1971 at the Slade School of Art,  a group formed to initially produce posters in response to the miners strike and on the wars in both Vietnam and Ireland. It was formed on the basis of developing a coherent visual style, which addressed the political issues of the time. This included the armed struggles against colonialism in Africa, the struggle of women for equal rights and the continuing struggle against racism. The collective was active in the 70's and 80's, producing posters on a wide range of issues, including for educational purposes. The group was not-for-profit and used a variety of hand-printing techniques to create their posters. Between Future and Past
A set of posters looking at the ideological and economic structures underlying the unequal position of women in society at different junctures in history from feudalism to present. It also shows points at which women have fought to change existing social relations. The poster is red, pink, black and white. There are black and white drawings of women sat with a man standing behind them. There are other illustrations across the poster; one shows a judge in a courtroom, talking down to women. there is a speech bubble which reads "The witches are brides of the Devil. As the Mallevs says, "When woman thinks alone, she thinks evil." Underneath this there is a box of text which says "The witch purges took place between the 16th and 18th centuries (They were at their height between 1650 and 1750). They were well organized campaigns, initiated, financed and carried out by the church and state, often supported by the male medical profession. The effect of the purges was the creation of mass
fear amongst women, as anyone could denounce them as a witch. Many women were executed on the basis of a confession signed torture." The bottom image shows a woman tied to a ladder, most likely being sent to a witch burning. There are photographs on the bottom right of the poster of women with children. the text underneath this says "The stereotype of woman as either witch or Madonna was extended into the stereotype of prostitute and mother in the modern period." There is another illustration of a witch burning on the left of the poster; the text which assists this reads "The witch hunts came at a time of worsening living conditions in Europe and coincided with peasant uprisings. The witch purges created a division within the peasantry. This made it more difficult for them to fight back together, both against decaying feudalismand the emerging capitalist order. There are several sets of text on the poster. The main set of text is red and is underneath the title. This says "In feudal
society the main form of medical care for the peasants-folk medicine - was provided almost exclusively by women. Along with the magic abilities credited to them, these so-called 'wise' women used such treatments as herbal medicines and massage based on centuries of observation and experience. Why did society turn against the witches? There are many clues but there is a large gap in the history books...Was it because these women posed a threat to the church whose power was declining?...or because witches were part of an independent peasant culture which the landowning classes wanted to suppress? or was it because they became the focus of deep sexual fears about women that existed? Or did the male medical establishment want to eliminate independent forms of medicine?"
