Image Analysis
The first image, titled ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ was produced
in 1876 and is an advertisement by Schumacher & Ettlinger. The image
features several men sitting around a table, the most obvious being Uncle Sam
himself. It is also apparent that the world, who has been drawn as a person is
sitting at the table amongst them, and Uncle Sam’s position suggests he is
serving him food or in other words, feeding the world. Looking into the detail
of the image you can see a clock on the wall with the dates 1776 and 1876
written on it. This represents the idea that America has been feeding the world
for 100 years as the United States emerged as an independent country in 1776.
This idea is also apparent in the use of the American flag, which is plastered
everywhere- showing a very patriotic attitude.
The second set of images, titled ‘East African Transport Old
Style’ and ‘East African Transport New Style’ are from an Empire Marketing
Board, produced by Adrian Allison in 1930. The image is aimed at buyers who
could afford to invest in products. The images are trying to represent how technology
has greatly improved the transport in Africa. In the first image you can see
men, women and children in their traditional clothing carrying supplies whereas
in the second image, the main focus is on the white man at the front, standing
tall and proud. It is evident that he is also standing with his back to the men
working, who are all black. These men are wearing minimal clothing, unlike the
white man, and there is no clear shot of their faces, suggesting that they are
not important within the image. This represents the idea of a hierarchy and the
fact that racism was acceptable at the time. There are also no women present showing
how attitudes to women have changed. These ideas are similarly evident in The
Uncle Sam Range poster. In the bottom left-hand corner you can see a black
child working. This conveys the idea that slave labour was present. The child
is doing most of the work, however, Uncle Sam appears to be taking the credit.
This brings me on to talk about another main feature in the image. The large,
cast iron, hi-tech cooker- advertising ‘The Uncle Sam Range’. The world appears
to be looking at a large list that features various other countries and
traditional foods that they eat. This could suggest that the Uncle Sam range
can cook just about everything, and would appeal to the whole world so everyone
should invest in one. It appears as though the world is buying into it so the
purpose of this poster may be to celebrate this idea.
In terms of the font and the style of illustration, in the first
image, a very flamboyant typeface has been used, alongside a few other
typefaces. This makes it appear quite busy, and dated. This could be due to the
way the poster was produced, or when. At the time, they probably didn’t have
much knowledge about composition and layout.
In the second image the font is quite different. It is very bold and
obvious on the posters, ensuring that you understand exactly what the posters
are trying to show, straight away. It draws your attention.
The main themes in both images are very similar in the fact
that they are based on the idea of a social hierarchy. They are trying to show the
improvements that America have made to the rest of the world and how proud they
are of this.
