OUGD401
Task 1 Image Analysis Exercise

During this first Context of Practice task we had to anaylise two pictures, the first from 1876 'The Uncle Sam Range' and the second from 1930 'East African Transport Old Style and East African Transport New Style'

We compared and contrasted the two images to the following four questions
- The choice of and organisation of font and style of illustration?
- The purpose and meaning of the image?
- The target / potential audience of the image?
- The historical contexts relevant to the production of the image?

In this blog post I'm answering these questions and using these five factors in my analysis. Society, Culture, Technology, Politics and History.

The choice of and organisation of font and style of illustration?

To start with the font of The Uncle Sam Range posters font, its a serif font with strokes. Its a very American style font, typically found in pubications from the time of the poster Its a bold font but found crowded in the layout of the poster. When comparing it to the other poster, the East African Transport poster has a clearer font situtated at the bottom of the illustration, so its easier for the user to read.

The font used on the East African poster is more modern, well seen as their is a large time difference in the posters, The East African one has a more Art Deco style font which is most likely letterpress unlike the first poster which will be handwriting. So technology plays a part in contrasting these two as in 1876, most lettering would have been handwriting but in the 1930s more traditional techniques would have been made available for printmakers.

The illustration style of the two posters are rather similar but in The Uncle Sam Range poster its almost like a cartoon scene in my opinion. Hidden details are in the poster such as the clock, it illustrates the two hands, one pointing to the date '1776' the year independence was declared in America and the other date is '1876' the year the poster was published. So the poster refers back to history by mentioning the date '1776' maybe this has been used to note how far America came in them 100 years since independence from the British Empire.An example of this at the table in the illustrations,sits three figures. Two men,one from the West and one from Dixieland, these were the two oppositions in the civil war and now they are sat at the same table. The other figure is a female representing England so my guess it would be the Queen at the time 'Queen Victoria'.

The colours in the Uncle Sam poster are heavily influenced by the American flag, its very loud and over the top. In the exercise members of the class described the poster as 'typically american' I agree with that point but thats for a different topic in this blog. The colours in the East African poster are largely influenced by the african jungle colours, but these illustrations of East Africa would have been interesting for the viewer back in United Kingdom as it was the 1930s, these posters would have been the one of a few times they'd be able to see Africa. So whether or not the illustrations were biased or fact,it was the only insight into Africa.


The purpose and meaning of the image?

I think the purpose and meaning in the Uncle Sam poster is simple, america is aiding the world and its purpose is to show strength. The image shows five people at a table discussing and planning, it shows very few people control so many. A list of countries is unravlled across the table, small names on a list in a room painted in the colours of America, it speaks for itself. The purpose is to show power. A thought of mine is that the title 'The Uncle Sam Range' means Americas range, because Uncle Sam symbolises America. The title could mean that America has grip on the world and a wide range of countries to trade with. Ways in which the two posters can link is that the planning being held in that room could be the outcome of the slaves building the bridge in East Africa.

The Uncle Sam poster does lay claim to history but in many ways this is still happening today, America is the leading nation on this day, the small slave boy in the poster could represent a slave labourer working away in a factory in Singapore or Bangladesh. Could America be aiding the world for the benefit of itself in the poster? the list of trading between the nations could prove this.

The purpose and meaning in the East Africa poster isn't as simple, as I think it could mean a number of things. Such as showing the British people the progress the British Empire is having in East Africa, for example building bridges and roads. Its another example of maybe purposley showing power, the lone figure of a white man commands the image,The British Empire leading the way? In the old style poster it shows women and children walking through the jungle in traditional clothes but in the new style poster it shows men building transport routes in western styled clothes such as shorts. My point here is maybe the poster is trying to communicate the idea that the British Empire is providing a better life for these natives, the men are building new transport links to make it easier but then again this could mean progress for the British Empire not the Slaves/Natives.

The reason the purpose and meaning of the East Africa in my opinion isn't clear is because in the old style it represents freedom and the african culture, but in the new style it just shows slavery and the impact of western technology for instance the trucks crossing the bridge. So once more it shows the social values at the time and the power of the west.

The target / potential audience of the image?

This time I'd like to start with the East Africa poster as I find it the more interesting one in this case, the audience for the poster I believe is the British public to show them the progress they are achieving in Africa but also to show a whole new culture. The poster could be used for propaganda to reassure the British public that the British Empire still has a stamp on the globe and that it is improving Africa. The use of 'Old' and 'New' implicate that they are trying to improve Africa. Other potential audiences for this poster could be financial backers or potential backers to relieve and assure them.

When comparing the two posters, the similarities are to show power once again, but the difference in the Uncle Sam poster is that I think it is trying to show hierarchy to the audience. The slave boy appears to be cooking the food, the women is the serving food and the men at the table will be discussing politics, these were often the social structures at the time. Women didn't have many rights or say in matters so maybe the image of the woman serving food is to testify this social value at the time.

The historical contexts relevant to the production of the image?

Both of the posters have relavent claims to history and are apparent in the production of the posters. The Uncle Sam Range refers back to certain dates as I explained earlier in the blog but it also touches on the social system in 1876 America. East African Transport Old Style and East African Transport New Style doesn't have many factual relevance to history, it could entirely be a bias production but does give a good interpretation of what life could have been like during the British Empire rule.