Catalogue Number
NMLH.2022.274
Object Name
Postcard
Date
1979
Description
Postcard with a political cartoon on the front. The image is red and black, and shows dead bodies strewn across the floor. There is a woman in a dress with a gas mask on, carrying a trolley with teacups, and the acronym "W.R.V.S" on the front. There is a quote at the bottom of the postcard reading "In a nuclear war, the Women's Royal Voluntary Service would provide the same services we have always provided in peace time' - Baroness Pike former WRVS chair." The reverse side of the postcard has the title of the image - "Service as usual by Leon Kuhn" and publishing information. This postcard was produced for West Midlands CND, this card refers to the Womenâs Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS), whose âOne-in-Fiveâ programme trained women to know what to do if the Soviet Union attacked the UK.
Leon Kuhn was a political cartoonist who continued to work with anti-war organisations, such as the Stop the War Coalition, until his death in 2013.
There is a Leeds postcards logo in the corner - Leeds Postcards was founded in 1979, with the intention of using postcards âas a political tool and agent for changeâ.
They quickly became well-known, producing some iconic work with activist groups such as the Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons (MCANW) and CND branches across the country, and artists including Peter Kennard and Steve Bell. They are still publishing postcards today.
Throughout the 1980s, Leeds Postcards published a number of cards satirising the threat of nuclear war, and celebrating the movement against the bomb.
