Summary

Large World War I Australian recruitment poster, titled 'Were YOU There Then?'. The poster features a woman in white pointing to a shredded Australian flag on a pole, asking the viewer if they were 'there' - the battles of World War I - when the flag was damaged. The flag is intended to appeal to the guilt of the viewer and their feelings of patriotism.

The poster was printed by W.A. Gullick, Government Printer, Sydney. It may have been commissioned by either the government of New South Wales or the Federal Government.

Physical Description

Large poster with bold inscription, printed on cream-coloured paper. Top half of poster has yellow background with red border; bottom half is red. Features painting of woman in white with blue tie and belt, pointing at a shredded Australian flag on a pole. She points to the flag. Poster has been adhered to a foam-core backing.

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