Catalogue Number
NMLH.2023.87.6
Object Name
Poster
Title
Picture Promises: women in the 1930s
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. Large green, white and yellow poster. It is titled "picture promises, women in the 1930s." There is a photograph of actors of Clark Gable and Jean Harlow - both 1930s actors.Underneath this there is a large image of a woman holding a child. This image is layered on top of a larger image showing children and parents on a road. There is green text at the bottom of the poster reading "depression in the 1930's was marked by massive unemployment, economic instability and international upheavals - especially the rise of fascism. Nevertheless, the consumer society which was to emerge after the 2nd World War was already being formed, based largely on the new electrical,chemical and motor car technologies. The development of the
mass entertainment industry, particularly hollywood, was an important part of this process. The cinema allowed people to escape from everyday reality, whilst at the same time creating the idea and desire for a new reality based on increased consumption. The cinema sold romance - the romance of falling in love, wearing the latest fashions, driving the fastest car... For working class people this image was in stark contrast their everyday struggle to live. As economic pressures intensified, the voice that women had found as workers during the 1st World War and through the political battle for women's suffrage was submerged. Equal pay discussions were postponed indefinitely and women workers were often blamed for unemployment. There was little or no official access to birth control, sex education or abortion facilities, and although there were some campaigns for provisions for women with children, only rarely was women's right to control their lives linked to a movement for a new economic
and political order."
