![A lithograph on lined paper poster for the United Committee of South-Slavic Americans in 1944. In the center is a black and white photograph of Josip Broz, also known as Tito, superimposed onto a ground of two vertical black arrows, one pointing up, and one pointing down, alongside a horizontal red arrow across the lower section, pointing to the left, to create an endless circle. Capitalised text in black, white and red above the photograph reads: [1941-/1944/ YUGOSLAV PEOPLE LED BY TITO]. While below the photograph of Tito, superimposed on the red arrow, white capitalised text reads [FIGHTING VANGUARD OF / DEMOCRATIC EUROPE]; and below that capitallised red and black text reads [DEATH TO FASCISM! / LIBERTY TO THE PEOPLE!] The poster is signed [E. McKnight Kauffer] in white ink in the center right, underneath the red arrow. It is also inscribed in capital letters: [THE UNITED COMMITTEE OF SOUTH-SLAVIC AMERICANS / 1010 PARK AVENUE . NEW YORK 28, N. Y] in black ink in the lower right; and [Litho’d in U. S. A] in black ink in the lower left.]( https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/64312_d7898bad2eb333dd_b.jpg
"Poster, Yugoslav People Led by Tito")
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Object Timeline
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1944 |
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1963 |
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Poster, Yugoslav People Led by Tito
This is a Poster. It was designed by E. McKnight Kauffer and made for (as the client) The United Committee of South-Slavic Americans. It is dated 1944 and we acquired it in 1963. Its medium is lithograph. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.
From the 1910s to 1930s, American artist and designer E. McKnight Kauffer received national renown in England, where he incorporated fine art styles into commercial art and helped to elevate posters to the status of paintings. At the outbreak of World War II, Kauffer moved to New York but struggled to achieve the same level of fame and success, though he did find work with corporate clients, war relief agencies, and other government organizations. The United Committee of South-Slavic Americans, which commissioned this poster, was formed in August 1943, and provided information on homeland news to the public. The poster praises Josip Broz, known as Tito, who at the time was leading a Communist resistance against Nazi Germany in Yugoslavia. Kauffer used black and red in an embrace of the Communist colors. He believed colors, along with form and symbol, were vital in commercial art to draw attention of passersby. Earlier in his career, he wrote that arrows in posters drew attention to neighboring images and away from the original advertisement. Here, the arrows travel in a conflicting but endless loop around a photograph of Tito in profile, ensuring that the viewer’s eye remains within the frame.
This object was
donated by
Mrs. Edward McKnight Kauffer.
It is credited Gift of Mrs. E. McKnight Kauffer.
- Katagami, Arrow Design
- mulberry paper (kozo washi) treated with fermented persimmon tannin....
- Gift of Helen Snyder.
- 1976-103-289
- Poster, Motor Show, Earls Court
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Mrs. E. McKnight Kauffer.
- 1963-39-576
- Poster, Food Is a Weapon
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Unknown Donor.
- 1987-24-23
Its dimensions are
63.5 × 48.3 cm (25 × 19 in.)
It is signed
Printed in script, in white ink, center right: E. McKnight Kauffer
It is inscribed
Printed in black ink, lower right: THE UNITED COMMITTEE OF SOUTH-SLAVIC AMERICANS / 1010 PARK AVENUE . NEW YORK 28, N. Y. [LOGO]; lower left: Litho’d in U. S. A.
Cite this object as
Poster, Yugoslav People Led by Tito; Designed by Edward McKnight Kauffer (American, active England, 1890–1954); Client: The United Committee of South-Slavic Americans (United States); USA; lithograph; 63.5 × 48.3 cm (25 × 19 in.); Gift of Mrs. E. McKnight Kauffer; 1963-39-114
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Underground Modernist: E. McKnight Kauffer.
