The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), which was founded in Britain in 1958, attracted the support of some prominent public figures and intellectuals as well as skilled designers and artists such as F. H. K. Henrion. This design has entered the notorious category of 'banned posters', for London Transport deemed that it contravened its 'Conditions Covering the Acceptance of Advertising'. These conditions included the prohibition of images that would be likely to cause political controversy. CND, whose peace logo appears at the bottom left, used posters to advertise its protest marches and demonstrations.
Physical description
'Stop Nuclear Suicide'. Portrait format poster printed in black on a yellow ground. Photographic image of a skull, apparently floating between sea and sky. On the ill-defined horizon a nuclear mushroom cloud billows between the eye sockets of the skull, simultaneously forming the bridge of the skull's nose. The CND logo is in lower left of the sheet, with the caption and address of CND lettered along bottom margin.
Place of Origin
UK (published)
Date
1963 (published)
Artist/maker
Henrion, Frédéric Henri Kay (M.B.E., R.D.I.), born 1914 - died 1990 (designer)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) (issuer)
Materials and Techniques
Offset lithograph
Marks and inscriptions
'Stop Nuclear Suicide'
'Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament 2 Carthusian St London EC1'
CND logo
Dimensions
Height: 758 mm sheet, Width: 504 mm sheet
Descriptive line
'Stop Nuclear Suicide'. Offset lithograph poster printed in black on a yellow ground. Photographic image of a skull and a nuclear mushroom cloud. Designed by Frédéric Henri Kay Henrion. Issued by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, London. 1963.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
M. Rickards, Banned Posters, London, 1969 p.p 58-60 (illus.)
David Crowley and Jane Pavitt eds. Cold War Modern: Design 1945-1970. V&A Publishing, 2008. 319p.:ill. ISBN:9781851775439
Exhibition Catalogue
Summary Catalogue of British Posters to 1988 in the Victoria & Albert Museum in the Department of Design, Prints & Drawing. Emmett Publishing, 1990. 129 p. ISBN: 1 869934 12 1
The full text of the entry is as follows:
'HENRION, Frederick Henri Kay (b 1914)
...
Stop Nuclear Suicide. Poster issued by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, London. 1963 S OL printed in black and yellow 75.6 x 50.2 cm
E.3910-1983 fiche 18/E4'
Exhibition History
Cold War Modern (The National Art Gallery, Vilnius 02/10/2009-06/12/2009)
Cold War Modern (Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto 28/03/2009-26/07/2009)
Cold War Modern (Victoria and Albert Museum 25/09/2008-11/01/2009)
Production Note
Issued by The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 2 Carthusian Street, London EC1.
Reason For Production: Commission
Materials
Lithographic ink
Techniques
Offset lithography
Subjects depicted
War; Propaganda; Nuclear War; Skulls; Nuclear explosion
Categories
Prints; Death; Propaganda; Posters
Production Type
Mass produced
Collection code
PDP
