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Keep mum, she's not so dumb!
Ministry of Information - Enlarge image
Keep mum, she's not so dumb!
- Object:
Poster
- Place of origin:
Britain (made)
- Date:
1941-1942 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Ministry of Information (printers)
Forster, Harold (designer) - Materials and Techniques:
Colour lithograph
- Credit Line:
Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko
- Museum number:
E.997-2004
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C, case 3G, shelf DR8
Poster artists found various devices for depicting enemy spies. This poster makes use of the popular stereotype of the glamorous spy. It strikes a palatable, light-hearted tone while the rhyming text is catchy and colloquial. As an enemy, the spy contrasts with the prevailing images of women in wartime Britain, which tended to encourage wholesome effort and economy. Her frivolity of dress, posture and gaze all imply her moral laxity.
