Plakat w służbie medycyny. Zdrowie publiczne jako temat plakatów z kolekcji Muzeum Górnośląskiego w Bytomiu (lata 50.–80. XX wieku)

Abstract

Poster in the service of medicine. Public health as a subject of posters from the collection of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom (1950s–1980s) The poster is a combination of graphic elements and a text layer that is informative. Its development in the 1940s was influenced by the socio-political situation of the country, which was rebuilding itself from war damage. In the following decades, it was a narrative in line with the ideological foundations of the Eastern Bloc countries. Over time, the poster became a tool of conscious propaganda by the authorities. Social posters, including those dealing with multifaceted issues of public health, broke away from the monotonous narrative. In the collection of the History Department of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, there are over 5.5 thousand posters of various content and caesura. A small part of them, 80 objects, analyzed in this study, concern activities in the field of prevention and health promotion, documenting the activities of the Polish Red Cross or compliance with safety regulations in the work environment and everyday life. Many of them were prepared by artists associated with the Polish Poster School, cooperating with Polskie Zakłady Graficzne, Wydawnictwo Artystyczno-Graficzne, Instytut Wydawniczy Centralnej Rady Związków Zawodowych and Wydawnictwo Państwowego Zakładu Higieny. Posters were placed in visible places, e.g. in hospitals, clinics, offices or mass media. Their task was to educate the society and develop proper habits in everyday life.