Keep Calm and Carry On November 19, 2008 5:42 PM Subscribe
In 1939, King George VI commissioned the Ministry of Information to produce three posters designed to reassure and prepare the British nation for an inevitable war. The posters were designed not so much to deliver any specific instruction, but rather to suggest an attitude - from King to country - towards the unknown. Stiff upper lip, old boy. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. YOUR COURAGE, YOUR CHEERFULNESS, YOUR RESOLUTION,WILL BRING US VICTORY
If like me the Keep Calm poster makes you proud verging on tears to be British (in a good way, not a BNP sort of way), you might be interested in this skydrive folder I put up. I hope that doesn't count as a 'personal project'... posted by 6am at 5:44 PM on November 19, 2008
I cannot begin to tell you how badly I want to visit "The British Library of secondhand bookshops." posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:53 PM on November 19, 2008
The posters were required to be uniform in style and were to feature a 'special and handsome' typeface making them difficult for the enemy to counterfeit.
If you want your very own Keep Calm And Carry On poster, Barter Books are selling reproductions, as mentioned. I just ordered one for my office. posted by ArkhanJG at 5:58 PM on November 19, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]
We have one in our newsroom, in Virginia. Always makes me happy to see it.
I'd assumed it had to do with the Blitz, but that's for posting the backstory. posted by thecaddy at 6:07 PM on November 19, 2008
NICHT
FÜR DER
GEFINGERPOKEN
UND
MITTENGRABEN posted by GuyZero at 6:10 PM on November 19, 2008
I ordered one from Barter too a while back - made a Tshirt from the EPS on my skydrive too. Everyone I know is getting the poster for christmas... posted by 6am at 6:12 PM on November 19, 2008
Keep Calm and Carry On poster have been seen regularly in shops around my way (in Australia) and I was putting off getting one until I moved to the UK (I have a few poster reproductions of WWII propaganda in my office already.) Now thanks to elfgirl I think I might just get the t-shirt she linked to instead. posted by Megami at 6:38 PM on November 19, 2008
Keep Calm and Carry On poster have been seen regularly in shops around my way (in Australia) and I was putting off getting one until I moved to the UK (I have a few poster reproductions of WWII propaganda in my office already.) Now thanks to elfgirl I think I might just get the t-shirt she linked to instead. posted by Megami at 6:38 PM on November 19, 2008
Well, I couldn't help myself and bought two. Definitely best of the web, not so good for my pocketbook. posted by Optimus Chyme at 7:07 PM on November 19, 2008
Slightly different tone, same bullshit propaganda.
Except the ones you've quoted are either about attacking people or being aggressive while this is a poster about being moderate while being attacked. Way different propaganda in my book. posted by meech at 7:14 PM on November 19, 2008
The posters were required to be uniform in style and were to feature a 'special and handsome' typeface making them difficult for the enemy to counterfeit.
So, how coincidental is it that it closely resembles the Obama poster font?
I have never seen these before, and I'm not British, but they definitely sum up my overall impression of British fortitude during WWII. I was moved to tears once watching one of those historic films showing a cheerful milkman whistling his way through blitz-bombed London's heaps of smoking rubble. Delivering the milk. posted by Miko at 7:20 PM on November 19, 2008
Does anybody else find it weird that there are Department of Homeland Secuirty billboards placed in cities advising us to be ready for impending disaster?
You still seem them from time to time in San Francisco, I always hear Fat Tony in my head saying "keep gaming..." when I do. posted by bottlebrushtree at 9:59 PM on November 19, 2008
I have a Keep Calm and Carry On poster in my bedroom. I love it-- it's the first thing I see in the mornings once I've fought with the alarm clock. I also bought one for my mother for her birthday last year-- poster, not alarm clock. posted by jokeefe at 10:50 PM on November 19, 2008
I'm not a cognitive scientist, but I'd have thought that printing the message KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON in BIG BOLD LETTERS on an ALARM RED BACKGROUND may be somewhat counterproductive. posted by Skeptic at 4:48 AM on November 20, 2008
Your Courage
Your Cheerfulness
Your Resolution
Will Bring Us Victory
Burma Shave posted by twine42 at 5:06 AM on November 20, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]
I have a Keep Calm and Carry On poster in my kitchen. posted by Dragonness at 7:01 AM on November 20, 2008
Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill did a variation on this for their League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier graphic novel, which featured the Ingsoc insignia instead of the crown. posted by Halloween Jack at 9:25 AM on November 20, 2008
In a freaky coincidence, I'm wearing my KC&CO t-shirt right now. posted by Skyanth at 4:04 AM on November 21, 2008
Alas, the film career of the Keep Calm Gang was not nearly as successful as that of their counterparts. posted by Sys Rq at 8:21 AM on November 22, 2008
Subscribe
posted by 6am at 5:44 PM on November 19, 2008