Image Analysis Exercise (Portfolio Task 1)

The Uncle Sam Range

1876

Schumacher and Ettlinger

This is a piece of advertising is trying to sell a cooker, 'The Uncle Sam Range'. Unlike modern adverts the product being advertised is off to the left of the piece and without a full understanding of what the message of the poster is conveying it is hard to tell that it is an advert for a cooker. In the advert there are a lot of images in the piece, making it seem cluttered. The type in the advert is bold and could be most recognisable in comparison to font associated with Western America, 'the wild west'. From the image of the range the audience can see that it is good quality but the main message of the poster is focused more towards the patriotism of America. The clock on the wall is showing 100 years of American independence, the company Abendroth Bros is using the celebration to emphasize the patriotism of there 'Uncle Sam Range'. Depicted in the poster are what look like a typical upper class patriotic American family, which at the time could inspire people to be like. The main audience that this poster is focused on is middle-class, who have the money to buy the range but aspire to be like the upper-class.

Saville and Lumley

1915

The second poster is first world war propaganda for men to join the army in 1915. It is aimed at men that hadn't initially joined up at the start of the war and was before the period where conscription was compulsory. Generally the intended audience is working middle class men who have a decent house, job and family and who don't feel the need to join up. In contrast to the first poster it is quite simple and direct, with less imagery and text in the overall composition of the poster. The text in the image is very British and anyone looking at the poster would recognise it as war time propaganda. The type in the image is simple with and underline emphasis on the 'You', directing it at the audience. Unlike the other poster , this poster has subtle hints; such as the toy soldiers that the child is playing with and the child sitting on the knee of the adult pointing at a book with pictures in it. These both relate back to the text used which try and make the audience feel guilty and that they should sign up to the army. There is also an underlying assumption that Briton will win the war, as the name 'Great War' implies that if you are not a part of it then what will you tell your children.