The Art of Influence: Propaganda Postcards from the Era of World Wars

Drawn from the Leonard A. Lauder Postcard Archive, this exhibition presents hundreds of postcards from the 1920s through the end of World War II, a time of conflict and upheaval on a global scale. 

With pithy slogans and bold colors, striking graphics and biting caricatures, postcards from the first half of the 20th century conveyed messages that were easily understood and remembered. This is art with an agenda, meant to justify war, lionize readers, demonize the enemy or underscore the need for citizens to make sacrifices for the cause. The Art of Influence highlights postcards as both valuable historical documents and masterworks of graphic design. Featuring several hundred postcards produced in Europe, the Soviet Union, the U.S. and Japan, the exhibition explores a range of themes connected to early-20th-century propaganda, including leaders, heroes, villains, abstractions, fake news and mockery. Whether produced by government propaganda bureaus, opportunistic publishers, aid organizations or resistance movements, postcards were designed to build and maintain public support as the world hurtled from one crisis to the next. Additionally, the exhibition features selected posters, magazines and film clips that demonstrate the potency of propaganda across a wide range of media. The same techniques and themes were in play no matter the politics of the regime. The Art of Influence invites visitors to consider how politics and propaganda are intertwined, both in the context of the first half of the 20th century and today.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website