Drawing of the Day: Old Cottages at East Bergholt, 1940

Old Cottages at East Bergholt
Algernon Newton, 1940
The Victoria & Albert Musuem

This 1930 charcoal drawing is part of the “Recording Britain” initiative of World War II which served to capture the changing face of the British landscape.

The scene depicts East Bergholt, John Constable's home—an almost hallowed spot for landscape painter Algernon Newton (1880-1968). Newton had a particular affinity for “Constable Country.” While others in the Recording Britain program attempted to mask the encroaching passage of time on the landscape, Newton embraced it and made sure not to conceal modern marks such as the telephone poles and wires which we see to the left of the cottage.

Drawing of the Day: Loose Talk Can Cost Lives, 1942

Poster
Falter, 1942
The Victoria & Albert Museum

American and British servicemen faced a common problem during the Second World War—“good time girls.” These vixens in their seductive sweaters with their flowing hair, red fingernails, painted lips and flashy baubles were thought to be on the prowl to snare innocent men and shake them down for military secrets.

To be sure, there were a variety of female spies who did, in fact, seduce servicemen into sharing confidential information. However, most of these girls were more interested in making some money than they were in selling intelligence to the Nazis. Nevertheless, men were warned to keep their mouths closed and not get trapped by these “good time girls.” Many a propaganda poster warned against them. Here’s one.

This one was printed in America and depicts such a temptress. She’s the picture of seduction, in fact. She’s even taller and stronger than the soldier who has fallen into her embrace. She’s got him and she aims to corrupt him, and, then go straight to Hitler with whom she’ll laugh while tossing her blonde curls over her broad shoulders.

The poster warns is “Sailor beware.” Still, we can’t be quite sure if he’s pushing her away or returning her so-called “affection.”

The point was…this could be you. Well, not me. But, maybe one of the rest of you. An inscription in black on pale blue at the bottom states: “Loose Talk Can Cost Lives.” Well, we can’t argue that. 

The poster was designed in 1942 by John Falter (1910-1982) for the British and American Ambulance Corps.

History's Runway: A Skirt Suit by Digby Morton, 1942

Utility Suit
Digby Morton, 1942
This and all images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Though made in 1942, this women’s suit is timeless and variations of the same design have been seen in offices for decades. This gray herringbone wool jacket, skirt and blouse is the work of the designer Digby Morton. The buttons were commissioned by the Board of Trade, and bear a wartime message: CC41 (Civilian Clothing 1941).

“The Utility Scheme” was introduced in 1941 as a way of ensuring that consumer goods were produced to the highest possible standards at “reasonable” prices while complying to restrictions and rationing of raw materials. Such clothes were easily identified by a distinctive double crescent CC41 (Civilian Clothing) label. The button design was the work of an artist called Reginald Schipp who was asked to disguise the “CC” so that the public would not recognize the letters as such. This stylized emblem became known to the public as “the cheeses” due to the crescent shape.

This suit was part of a collection that was commissioned by The British Board of Trade from the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers. This was one of over thirty stylish yet economical outfits meant for general consumption. In October 1942, Vogue Magazine said of the collection: “All the designs are, of course, within the New Austerity specifications: only so many buttons, this much cuff and that much skirt...but they are an object lesson in the power of pure style over mere elegance.”

This suit has Digby Morton's initials inked on a paper tag. This is rare since the designers were asked to remain anonymous. It is one of only two Utility prototype garments labeled by the original designer.

Song of the Week: Accentuate the Positive, 1944

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

(To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark)

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me, hmm?

(Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive)
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right

(You've gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between)

You've got to spread joy (up to the maximum)
Bring gloom (down) down to the minimum
Otherwise (otherwise) pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate (well illustrate) my last remark (you got the floor)
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say (what did they say)
Say when everything looked so dark

Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No! Don't mess with Mister In-Between


"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” published in 1944, features music by the famous Harold Arlen and lyrics by the celebrated Johnny Mercer. By 1945, this plucky song remained at the top of the charts for 13 weeks. With its positive lyrics and reminder to focus on the good in life, this was the song the world needed in the years following the Second World War. Now a beloved standard, the song has been recorded by some of the world’s most popular artists.

This 1945 recording by Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers was one of the first and most enjoyed recordings of the song and demonstrates Mercer’s desire to couch the song in terms of a sermon.

Print of the Day: "Going Ashore?" c. 1940

Going Ashore?
Chromolithograph, c. 1940
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Since today is Pearl Harbor Day, I thought we'd look at a few WWII related things.

This World War II propaganda poster was printed in English, Greek, French, Dutch and Norwegian. Like most such posters, it warned against careless talk—not just from the military, but also by civilians. The idea, and quite a correct one, was that you never knew who was listening and how the most innocent comment or data could be used against the cause.

I like these posters quite a lot because they are, often, graphically stunning and wholly demonstrative of their era. Many relied on shadowy, fearsome images of stylized spies and looming danger. But, often, they used bright and humorous images to make their point.

This one is especially charming. “Going Ashore?” our parrot friend asks us. He reminds us that even the most unthreatening individual could be working for the other side. After all, he’s wearing a Nazi officer’s cap.

Lousy Nazi Parrots!

The copy reminds us to “keep what you know to yourself.” Not a bad idea even when not threatened by Nazi parrots.

Drawing of the Day: Old Cottages at East Bergholt, 1940

Old Cottages at East Bergholt
Algernon Newton, 1940
The Victoria & Albert Musuem

This 1930 charcoal drawing is part of the “Recording Britain” initiative of World War II which served to capture the changing face of the British landscape.

The scene depicts East Bergholt, John Constable's home—an almost hallowed spot for landscape painter Algernon Newton (1880-1968). Newton had a particular affinity for “Constable Country.” While others in the Recording Britain program attempted to mask the encroaching passage of time on the landscape, Newton embraced it and made sure not to conceal modern marks such as the telephone poles and wires which we see to the left of the cottage.

Mastery of Design: A White Gold, Diamond Ruby and Sapphire Brooch, 1940

Brooch
American, 1940
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This brooch dates to the Second World War. The history of the brooch is a trifle sketchy, but it was believed to have been worn by the wife or mother of an American serviceman during the war.

The design shows a Service Flag, the official banner of a regiment. Such flags were displayed by American families who had someone serving in the armed forces. Such banners were introduced in 1917 and were in widespread in both the U.S. and the U.K. during the Second World War. The blue star, representing the family member, would be replaced with a gold one if he was killed in action.

Antique Image of the Day: Women - There's work to be done and a war to be won... Now!, 1944

Propaganda Poster
Vernon Grant, 1944
The Victoria & Albert Museum

World War II was, by no means, fun. Not for anyone. But, makers of propaganda posters tried their best to make the situation seem as surmountable and endurable as possible. While the women left at the home front during the First World War were just as involved, a concerted movement was made during the second war to make women’s war work seem light and enjoyable. Posters were created in a cartoonish style which presented this grueling labor during a tragic time as something light-hearted.

This 1944 poster, for example, is the work of Vernon Grant, a celebrated children’s artist who is also well known as the creator of the original characters of “Snap, Crackle and Pop,” for Kellogg’s Cereal.

Here, Grant depicts eleven women working at various jobs to aid the war effort. The message of the poster becomes its visual centerpiece as the women seem to be working to create red block letters that spell out “WOMEN.” The message in reinforced with the text: “There’s work to be done and a war to be won...Now!"

At the Music Hall: Oh, It’s a Lovely War, 1917

Oh! Oh! Oh! it's a lovely war, 
Who wouldn't be a soldier eh? 
Oh! It's a shame to take the pay. 
As soon as reveille is gone 
We feel just as heavy as lead, 
But we never get up till the sergeant brings 
Our breakfast up to bed 
Oh! Oh! Oh! it's a lovely war, 
What do we want with eggs and ham 
When we've got plum and apple jam? 
Form fours! Right turn! 
How shall we spend the money we earn? 
Oh! Oh! Oh! it's a lovely war.

Written in 1917 by J.P. Long and Maurice Scott, “Oh, It’s a Lovely War,” was popularized during the First World War by male impersonator and music hall star Ella Shields. The song with it’s rousing and patriotic overtones was a humorous and effective means of raising moral during the grisly war and remained popular well into World War II.

The song has been featured in many musicals and films, not the least of which was the 1969 film, Oh, What a Lovely War which was based on the 1963 musical of the same name. “Oh, It’s a Lovely War’ was the centerpiece of Oh, What a Lovely War and served as a show-stopping number.

Here’s a clip of the song from the 1969 film. 

Print of the Day: Don't Distract Your Mates, 1942

"Don't Distract Your Mates"
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Ministry of Labour, 1942
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in 1942, during the Second World War, this poster was designed by Bruce Angrave as a bit of instructional propaganda. To be sure, it’s quite grim, but it serves its purpose quite well, acting as a reminder of the serious injury or death that could result from being distracted and not paying attention in the workplace. During this period, with much of Britain’s usual workforce fighting in the war, a good many people with little previous work experience had to take jobs for which they were not trained nor for which they had developed the necessary discipline. Since many of these jobs directly benefited the war effort, posters such as this were created to remind people to be vigilant while working in order to avoid accidents.

Angrave's image depicts a black tree laden with unusual fruit—the fruits of distraction: prosthetic limbs, crutches and a coffin.

The inscription reads: 


These are the fruits of horseplay 
DON'T DISTRACT YOUR MATES

The poster was printed by Loxley Bros. Ltd. for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, a division of the Ministry of Labour and National Service.

Print of the Day: Belgium Fights On, 1940-1944

Belgium Fights On
Sturbelle, 1940-1944
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at several World War II propaganda posters. This one was used between 1940 and 1944 after the German occupation of Belgium of May of 1940. This poster was part of a campaign to encourage American support for the Belgian resistance. It’s the work of R. Sturbelle who excelled in creating dramatic and effective images such as this one which juxtaposes a group of bound Belgians about the executed with an image of decided freedom. 

Sunday Sparkle: The Life Began In Water Necklace, 1950

Necklace
"Life Began in Water"
Sah Oved, c. 1950
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the years following the Second World War, more so than in any other era, jewelry began to be viewed as a type of “wearable art,” which allowed the wearer to express his or her character as well as that of the designer. Designers played with the conventions of jewelry-making to produce untraditional, often abstract, pieces which looked to the modernist principles of the Bauhaus as well as to earlier avant-garde art movements such as Surrealism, Cubism and Constructivism. Though designs may have nodded to conventional and traditional designs, jewelers felt free to play with proportion and material, employing stones with unusual shapes which were presented in arrangements which were often asymmetrical.

Sah Oved became known for such pieces. Here’s an example of her work, made in England around 1950. “Life began in Water,” features a playful title which is alluding to the creation of life. This jewel is considered an iconic piece of its period.

The central ornament of the necklace is positioned off-center, the fishes and water birds are abstract, and the cuts of the agates, jasper and aquamarines are unconventional. The wholly odd, asymmetrical design became a benchmark for other designers wishing to emulate her work. 

History's Runway: The American Forces in London Scarf, 1943

The American Forces in London Scarf
Lever, 1943
The Victoria & Albert Museum

By 1943, Britain had already suffered through four years of the second World War and had endured nightly aerial bombardment which weakened her population, ports and cities.  American Armed Forces, arriving in 1942 and 1943, stationed in Britain helped her people rally.  While there, American soldiers often wished to send small souvenirs of England home to wives, sweethearts, sisters and mothers.  This handsome silk scarf was designed by Arnold Lever (1905-1977) and manufactured by Jacqmar to be a souvenir which could easily be sent overseas by soldiers.  

The scarf demonstrates Lever's unique idea of the spirit of London and Britain as well as his desire to spread Britain's appreciation for America's aid.  In addition to showing London's usual main sites, Lever includes the U.S. Embassy.  Lever includes figures representing American soldiers with those from other nations who joined in the fight against Germany and Japan.  This idea of international camaraderie is solidified with depictions of traditional British citizens interacting with foreign brethren.  We see a French solider with a hilted Scotsman, two soldiers of the Home Guard, an English policeman and a bowler-hatted businessman.

Mastery of Design: The Cartier Link Necklace, 1954-5

Link Necklace
Cartier, London, 1954-55
The Victoria & Albert Museum

For a period after the Second World War, gemstones were prohibitively expensive and difficult to find through honest trade. As a consequence, gold jewelry became fashionable and was in great demand throughout European and American high society.

While such gold pieces appeared to be quite thick and heavy, they were often hollow, augmented by wire internally. However, the often showcased elaborate and playful designs like this exceptional necklace made by London Cartier between 1954 and 1955.  

The necklace of gold is designed in flexible links in fashionable brickwork pattern.

Painting of the Day: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, 1938

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
1938-1945
The Royal Collection

This handsome portrait of Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother) was painted between 1938 and 1945. It is the work of Sir Gerald Kelly who was initially commissioned to paint the state portraits of George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1938.
Kelly was nearly finished by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The two paintings were relocated during the war from his studio in London to Windsor Castle where Kelly spent the next five years slowly completing his commission. Kelly remained at Windsor Castle during the war and was kept company by the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose who were sent to the safety of castle for the duration of the war while their parents remained at Buckingham Palace.

Here, we see Queen Elizabeth wearing her coronation robes and regalia. According the the curators of the Royal Collection, Kelly enjoyed his sittings with the Queen and said of her, “It is hard to suggest the admiration and affection which grew all around her. From wherever one looked at her, she looked nice: her face, her voice, her smile, her skin, her colouring - everything was right.”

Mr. Punch in the Arts: A Painting of George Cameron as Mr. Punch, 1945



Charles Cameron as Mr. Punch
Albert Houthuesen, 1945
The Victoria & Albert Museum



Our Mr. Punch has had a deep influence on all of the creative arts for many a century. Not only has he been directly incorporated into a variety of media, his image has been used as inspiration and has been copied to send a host of different messages. In many ways, he’s more than a puppet. An argument can be made that he’s the most famous man in Britain.

Here, we see a full-length portrait of the clown Charles Cameron as Mr. Punch. While most of us don’t know who Charles Cameron is, we do know Punch. So, clearly the celebrity of our wooden-headed friend has far outlived that of those who would mimic him.

Cameron wears a night cap and baggy white trousers which owe more to Mr. Punch’s Italian ancestor, Pulcinella, than they do to Punch himself. It’s the actor’s face, however, which most resembles Punch. Seen in profile, Cameron has been painted with the characteristic Punch-like nose and jutting chin. He holds his hands to his face with palms turned outwards, and one foot and affects a balletic pose with one foot in front of the other.

The painting heralds from the Doncaster Theatre and dates to 1945. It is signed in ink on the reverse, “Houthuesen.”

This painting is the work of Albert Houthuesen who, it seems, enjoyed painting clowns. Charles Cameron was one of several clown portraits that Houthuesen drew while at the Doncaster Theatre in 1945. During this period, Houthuesen and his family were living temporarily in Tickhill, near Doncaster, and had a close affiliation with the theatre. But, what was it exactly that drew the artist to clowns? Houthuesen's biographer reports that for the artist, the clown became a symbol of art and poetry. Houthuesen often portrayed the clown as philosopher and saint.

Albert Houthuesen (1903-1979) was born in Amsterdam. He traveled to London with his mother in 1912 after the death of his father. There, he attended the Royal College of Art and became a teacher and a full-time artist. He often depicted scenes which showed his affection for the theatre, dance and clowns, and he enjoyed a long friendship with The Hermans, a family of Russian Jewish clowns.

Antique Image of the Day: Hanukkah, 1944

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The image, printed in black, on the front of this postcard depicts four concentration camp inmates behind a makeshift Hanukkah menorah. Within this sober image, the word Hanukkah (in Hebrew) and the year, “1944” are lettered.


This postcard was issued by the Jewish organization Agudat Jiszrael (Union of Israel) in Budapest in 1945. The image was designed by Felix Gluck in 1944. Gluck had fled his native Bavaria for Budapest in 1936 to escape the Nazis, but was imprisoned in Mauthausen--a forced labor camp in Austria, from 1944 to 1945. The card, now, not only chronicles the atrocities that Jewish people faced before and during the Second World War, but also their innate sense of hope and admirable dedication to their beliefs.

Drawing of the Day: Old Cottages at East Bergholt, 1940

Old Cottages at East Bergholt
Algernon Newton, 1940
The Victoria & Albert Musuem

This 1930 charcoal drawing is part of the “Recording Britain” initiative of World War II which served to capture the changing face of the British landscape.

The scene depicts East Bergholt, John Constable's home—an almost hallowed spot for landscape painter Algernon Newton (1880-1968). Newton had a particular affinity for “Constable Country.” While others in the Recording Britain program attempted to mask the encroaching passage of time on the landscape, Newton embraced it and made sure not to conceal modern marks such as the telephone poles and wires which we see to the left of the cottage.

Print of the Day: Loose Talk Can Cost Lives, 1942

Poster
Falter, 1942
The Victoria & Albert Museum

American and British servicemen faced a common problem during the Second World War—“good time girls.” These vixens in their seductive sweaters with their flowing hair, red fingernails, painted lips and flashy baubles were thought to be on the prowl to snare innocent men and shake them down for military secrets.

To be sure, there were a variety of female spies who did, in fact, seduce servicemen into sharing confidential information. However, most of these girls were more interested in making some money than they were in selling intelligence to the Nazis. Nevertheless, men were warned to keep their mouths closed and not get trapped by these “good time girls.” Many a propaganda poster warned against them. Here’s one.

This one was printed in America and depicts such a temptress. She’s the picture of seduction, in fact. She’s even taller and stronger than the soldier who has fallen into her embrace. She’s got him and she aims to corrupt him, and, then go straight to Hitler with whom she’ll laugh while tossing her blonde curls over her broad shoulders.

The poster warns is “Sailor beware.” Still, we can’t be quite sure if he’s pushing her away or returning her so-called “affection.”

The point was…this could be you. Well, not me. But, maybe one of the rest of you. An inscription in black on pale blue at the bottom states: “Loose Talk Can Cost Lives.” Well, we can’t argue that. 

The poster was designed in 1942 by John Falter (1910-1982) for the British and American Ambulance Corps.

Drawing of the Day: House in Amberley Grove, Sydenham, 1942

House in Amberley Grove, Sydenham
Barbara Jones, 1942
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This watercolor from 1942 is the work of Barbara Jones who was one of the many artists employed during the Second World War as part of Queen Mary’s “Recording Britain” incentive which was meant to keep native artists working during the war.

Jones shows us a view of a home in Amberley Grove in Sydenham, England—a gorgeous example of the sort of eccentric, dreamy homes built in England during the Nineteenth Century during a curious and spectacular period wherein a variety of historic architectural styles were revived and all used at once. This delightfully odd home combined medieval and Gothic visual motifs straight out of fairytales with wholly Victorian design ideals. It was built in 1867 by a now unknown astronomer.

The “Recording Britain” program was founded in 1940 by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime (a division of the Ministry of Labour and National Service). Lasting through 1943, the program kept artists employed and busy, creating lasting artistic impressions of Britain during the war. This not only served to give us a record of those poor buildings a nd landscapes that would inevitably be lost during the war, but also gives us a look into the creative mindset of the period.