These two images are both similar in style
and execution but both very individual in message even though the two have a
similar value. Both of these images are almost propaganda in a way that both
promote two superpowers of the time, America and the British Empire.
The first piece is an American advert for a
stove: The Uncle Sam Range. However this is not clear, as it appears that the
oven is not the main focus of the image. This piece is incredibly patriotic in
style, containing very American traits such as the red whit and blue stripes,
the stars and Uncle Sam sitting in the centre and the western, new frontier
style typography. It looks like some sort of meeting and within this piece it
is made to look as though Uncle Sam is having a meeting with the rest of the
world and deciding what to feed it, this idea is driven even further with the
cooker being used to cook a lot of food. This represents the arrogance of
America at that time. It had been independent for a hundred years and was
beginning to be in the state of the American Dream where everyone wanted to
rise up and up and become more and more successful. America is almost trying to
tell everyone that they can feed the world. However in its arrogant way,
America’s racist attitude is clearly visual in this piece with a list of racial
stereotypical food types and a comical illustration of a little black boy
cooking which implies that this image is targeted at Americans, as anyone else
would find it offensive.
The second image is an advert from the
British Empire, which attitude is very similar but it has just been done in a
different manor, once again it’s a good example of arrogance and racial
attitudes. This picture depicts the British Empire being a positive thing bringing
technology and an easier life to the colonies that it has taken control of. It
demonstrates British ingenuity and I think is trying to show the rest of
Britain that the Empirical Project is a good idea, as towards the 1940’s it was
starting to fall apart. I believe it is trying to justify the oppression of
those it is controlling in other colonies and promoting Imperialism and
colonization. This piece is definitely not targeted at the colonies themselves
and it shows a Briton leading a work force that looks as though they are being
forced into labour. The depiction of the native race has also been drawn in a
style that demonizes them much like the little black boy cooking in the Uncle
Sam Range advert. The typography in this piece also tells us about the era that
this piece is from; it is very Art Deco in style, a style that was very popular
at the time.
Together these images are both similar in
depicting the arrogance of powerful nations as well as the racial attitudes
that they both hold. The two adverts are justifying the oppression of other
races and are targeted at the patriarchal and empirical societies that were
around at the time. However they both approach this message in different styles
both being patriarchal in their individual way.
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