Portfolio Task 1- Image Analysis

Both of these images present a very male dominant society, in ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ image the man is central to the image (despite it being an advertisement for a cooker, which is offset to the left) and the woman is behind him serving the food. In the poster by Savile Lumley the woman is non-existent. Both present very wealthy families well-dressed upper and middle class society people and use emotional manipulation and status to convince the audience.

‘The Uncle Sam Range’ image presents a lifestyle, a way to buy into this lifestyle and the American ‘ideal’ is to buy this cooker. It becomes less about the cooker and its uses and more about the life and the status you could have by owning this cooker. This is also present in the poster by Savile Lumley; the idea that the war will once be called the ‘Great’ war and if you did not sign up to fight it would be considered shameful and cowardly. Both images present a lifestyle to ‘aspire’ to. The boy playing with the toy soldiers shows how soldiers will be thought as heroes and with that comes status and nobility. The girl reading the story presents the idea that the story of the ‘Great’ war will be told and written about in the future; the man is not looking the child, he is looking straight at the audience. It is an emotional manipulation. The poster is aimed mainly at middle class men, the reason for tapping into the audience emotions, because a lot of middle class men could probably afford not to fight.

Both images are patriotic, ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ has American symbolism everywhere, the American Eagle, stars and stripes, and on the children as well, Dixy-South America. West and New England. Notice that the woman and girl are outsiders in the image and the boys and men are central. There is a great sense of American self-importance in the image, having only been established for 100 years and thinking they have come so far in this time. The list that the world is reading has lists of countries and foods, for example Ireland’s list has different types of potatoes on, this notion that this is all they can eat because they are ‘behind the times’ in comparison to America, and America is in some way better than them as a country. Similarly in the Savile Lumley poster there are many English symbols, such as the roses on the curtains and the symbols of royalty on the chair.

There is also a sense that if you are convinced by these advertisements and buy into them then you will ‘belong’ and otherwise would be an outsider or looked down upon. Another point to make is the slave in ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ image; there are racist connotations throughout the image, the world’s face on Africa, almost like a caricature. America is mocking other countries, presenting stereotypes, closed mindedness, racism, social attitudes and intolerance.

The font styles are important in both images. ‘The Uncle Sam Range’ font choice reminds you of Wild West sort of font, a reference to the era and it is also in gold. The font in the Savile Lumley poster seems very personal, in keeping with the use of ‘Daddy’, a very personal term. The underlining and capitals of you emphasises the point of the poster.