work your best!... (for me?)

conditions in the US during the twenties, the period during which all four of these poster series were published. also, it was the period which resembled conditions here today in many ways.

these four series, two of which are new to me, all of which seem to me to have very different views of human nature. the mather posters are boosters, 'you go get'm, guys!' the bill jones ones are frequently scolding. the a.h.brand ones, which are to be found nowhere but swann's aug 3 2011 catalogue, at least not that i could find; they are elegant and kind -- more reminders than instructions.

the buzza mottos are so charming. i've come across them now and then over the years, but they are only rarely photographed well enough to reproduce here. and their favorite subject is mothers. still, they are also boosters. see finsbry's flickr for more.

the thing is, why did they all appear at just that moment? this was the 'roaring twenties,' and a time in our history in which the separation between the rich and the poor was devastatingly vast, much like it is today.

power was held by the few, and rights were being stolen from their workers. the lopsidedness toppled the economy, again, much as it has today. workers with no money in their pockets can't consume, and without consumers a business will fail.

so why these posters at that moment, and what, if any- thing, can they teach us about today?
i just can't see myself clear to understand.
are they morale boosters handed out instead of power?
are they the greedy trying to squeeze just that penny more?
(if we're going to fund FEMA we have to cut social security!)

what do you think?

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• heller posters
• international posters