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Poster power

The images chart changing the social trends throughout the century.

Poster design boomed in the 1960s with the development of Pop Art and psychedelia. But when the poster first emerged in the 1870s, it was essentially pictorial, inspired by the theatre and the performing arts.

Governments and pressure groups have also used the poster to advance causes and to inform the public.

Famous examples include the British series of posters from World War II which emphasised that "careless talk cost lives".

Another example from 1960s America depicts a series of images, some macabre, of Uncle Sam.

The posters were intended to increase the pressure on the US government to withdraw from the Vietnam war.

From its early days the poster was also used to persuade people to buy products. Popular slogans have included the catchy lines "Bovril prevents that sinking feeling" and "Did you Maclean your teeth today?"

The poster is still as popular as ever and is used to sell a wide range of products from cars, cigarettes and music to the morale boosting Wonderbra, which featured a model in a bra with the slogan "Hello boys" underneath.

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