Catalogue Number
NMLH.2023.94
Object Name
Poster
Title
One thing, however is clear'
People
Engels
Date
1972-1982
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. Medium sized black, white and yellow poster with photographs and text. The text at the top of the poster reads " One thing, however is clear - Nature does not produce on the one side owners of money or commodities, and on the other men processing nothing labour power." There are several images,
one of a men with the text "Let's talk money", an image of a banner about profit growth, and a third image relating to business. Each of these images are accompanied with a quote; the first is from Keith Joseph, the second Margaret Thatcher and the third is Milton Friedman. There are more images and quotes pertaining to business, capitalism and a free market. The middle of the poster has a quote from the Daily Telegraph reading, "Capitalism should properly be regarded as the economic manifestation of freedom." The text at the bottom of poster critiques capitalism, stating that the "capitalist class will always struggle to increase the exploitation of the working class by decreasing wages." The bottom of the poster quotes Engels; " Wages depend upon the relation of demand to supply, upon the accidental state of the labour market, simply because the workers have hitherto been content to be treated as chattels, to be bought and sold. The moment the workers resolve to be bought and sold no
longer, when, in the determination of the value of labour, they take the part of men possessed of a will as well as of working-power, at that moment the whole Political Economy of today is at an end."
