Poster
ca. May 1968 (Designed and printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
By the trick of revealing 'the face behind the mask', this protest poster encourages the viewer to equate Charles de Gaulle and Adolf Hitler. De Gaulle, who later became Prime Minister of France, and ultimately the President of the French Republic, was a soldier who became the leader of the Free French government-in-exile in the Second World War. The double-barred Cross of Lorraine on the armband (the emblem of his birthplace) was used by de Gaulle as a symbol of Free French resistance to the German occupiers during the war. The poster was produced in May 1968 during the period of student riots and civil unrest in Paris.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Screenprint |
| Brief description | Hitler carrying a de Gaulle mask, screenprint, student protest poster produced at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, France (Paris), 1968 |
| Physical description | Screenprinted poster, depicting a black-and white image of Hitler holding a mask of Charles de Gaulle's face. On his left arm, the swastika has been replaced by a cross of Lorraine, the official symbol of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. |
| Dimensions |
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| 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 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | By the trick of revealing 'the face behind the mask', this protest poster encourages the viewer to equate Charles de Gaulle and Adolf Hitler. De Gaulle, who later became Prime Minister of France, and ultimately the President of the French Republic, was a soldier who became the leader of the Free French government-in-exile in the Second World War. The double-barred Cross of Lorraine on the armband (the emblem of his birthplace) was used by de Gaulle as a symbol of Free French resistance to the German occupiers during the war. The poster was produced in May 1968 during the period of student riots and civil unrest in Paris. |
| Other number | LS.1373 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1338-2004 |
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| Record created | February 10, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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