Image Analysis Exercise

image 1

Savile Lumley (1915)

image 2

The uncle Sam's Range (1876)
Schumacher & Ettlinger, New York

Questions:
complare and contrast the two images in relation to the following-
1)the choice and organisation of font and style of illustration
2)the purpose and meaning of the image
3)the target/potential audience of the image
4)the social and historical context relevant to the production of the image

In the first image the type is placed at the bottom of the poster and uses a hand written like, italic font that seems personal and welcoming. The artist connects to the target audience by emphasising “you” by making it larger and underlined. In the second picture the type connects to the audience by using a western font which reminds people of America in the “cowboy and Indian” times where this font was popular, reminding the audience of their heritage.

I think the purpose of the first image is to try and get young men to join the war. It came out in the second year of the 1^st world war when they needed more people to join the army and fight. I think the artist glorifies the war by calling it “The Great War” which makes you think you would be doing something heroic and brave if you joined and makes you want to be a part of it. The text starts with the word “Daddy” and shows two children reading and playing with soldiers asking their father what he did in the war. I think the poster is trying to put the viewer in the Fathers position and makes you think what your own answer will be in the future when you have a family. It makes you want to have a story to tell your own children which guilt’s you in to joining the war.

The second image is more cluttered and gives a lot more information. The advert is for a cooker called “The Uncle Sam’s Range”. In the image there is a table to the center right and a cooker to the left of the image. There is world with arms, legs and a face sat at the table reading a bill with different counties orders on it. There are also three children, two boys and one girl placed further behind (which shows weakness). The children have “Dixie” and “west” on the boys and “New England” on the girl. There is an eagle (America’s national symbol) and a dressed up man (who is a figure head for America) at the table and a woman is offering them food. The man is in the center of the image which draws your eyes to see him first and gives him your main attention. There is also a black child servant getting food out of the cooker (this shows how much view have changed since this image was made). The image is mainly in Red, white and blue which are the colours of the American flag. I think the image is trying to say if you are American you should have this cooker and how America is better than other countries (this is shown by listing unappealing foods from other countries on the bill)