Wearing Propaganda 1931-1945

[Mark Wright AIA]

Howdy all,
Some of you are going to LOVE this exhibition:

http://www.bgc.bard.edu/exhibit/upcoming.shtml

Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and
the United States, 1931–1945
Friday, November 18, 2005 - Sunday, February 5, 2006

>From November 18, 2005, through February 5, 2006, The Bard Graduate
Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture presents
Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and
the United States, 1931–1945. This is the first major exhibition of
propaganda fashion designed and produced in Japan, Britain, and the
United States during the years of conflict in the Asia-Pacific War and
World War II. Scheduled to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the
end of World War II, the exhibition provides a unique opportunity to
consider this under-recognized but visually exciting genre of wearable
propaganda, worthy of note today not only for its design value but also
as a reflection of the popular culture of the time.

Approximately 130 works of art illustrate how civilian textile design
helped to promote wartime agendas in the three countries. The material
on view includes clothing and accessories, textile samples, cartoons
for textile designs, posters, and photographs. The objects are drawn
from public and private collections throughout the United States and
Britain, and from numerous private collections in Japan. Many of the
objects, especially the Japanese, are unknown and have never before
been documented, exhibited, or photographed.

There are distinct cultural differences between Japan and the West in
the use of propaganda textiles. The American and British examples were
produced almost exclusively for women and were worn prominently in
public, as headscarves, blouses, and dresses. In Japan, most of the
clothing incorporating textiles with propaganda images was worn by men
and young boys. The propaganda textiles used for men’s garments
appeared predominantly in traditional clothing such as nagajuban (long
underkimono) or the linings of haori (jackets worn with kimono), and
thus were, for the most part, designs that would be hidden from public
view and thus seen only by people close to the wearer. Also striking is
Japan’s use of propaganda textiles in children’s clothing. Many of the
pieces in the exhibition are kimono for young boys and omiyamairi
(shrine-visiting kimonos, comparable to christening gowns) that include
potent military imagery.


		
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