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Stop Nuclear Suicide

Poster
1963 (first published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleStop Nuclear Suicide (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Offset lithograph
Brief description
'Stop Nuclear Suicide'. Offset lithograph poster designed by Frédéric Henri Kay Henrion. Issued by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, London. 1960s.
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.
Style
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Given by Martin Bailey
Subjects depicted
Summary
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.
Bibliographic references
  • M. Rickards, Banned Posters, London, 1969 p.p 58-60 (illus.)
  • Crowley, David and Jane Pavitt, Cold War Modern: Design 1945-1970, London: V&A Publishing, 2008. ISBN:9781851775439
Collection
Accession number
E.395-2021

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Record createdSeptember 23, 2021
Record URL
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