Join your country’s army. A poster in the service of agitation propaganda

Abstract

The article discusses the poster as a form of visual message used for agitation propaganda mainly during world wars. Hence, the introductory part covers both the visual layer, verbal communication, and non-verbal communication as well as aspects of political communication used in agitation propaganda. The authors took into account propaganda posters using the pointing finger motif, the prototype of which was the poster by Alfred Leete from 1914. The image of Lord Kitchener and a hand with a pointing finger stretched out towards the recipient of the message, as well as the exclamation “Your country needs you” became an inspiration for subsequent posters that influence exceed time and geographical space. The analysis of posters with the pointing finger motif was carried out taking into account four periods. The authors also drew attention to the media space that was the original one for the 1914 poster. A space without media known today, where, on the one hand, the poster made it possible to reach a wide audience, and on the other, its impact was a product of the strength of the messages it contained and the means used. The analysis was carried out based on the methodology of interpretation of visual materials by Gillian Rose.