‘Ludendorff Fund for the War Wounded’ Propaganda Poster

The ‘Ludendorff Fund for the War Wounded’ is a poster designed by Ludwig Holwein in 1917.  Ludwig Holwein was born in Germany in 1874 and practiced architecture until 1906 when he switched careers and began dabbling in poster design.  He is thought to be one of the most important people working in poster design.  He was hired by the German government during World War I to create propaganda posters in order to influence citizens in Germany to donate to the war or enlist as soldiers.  Ludwig Holwein died in 1939 at the age of 65.  

In order to start at the beginning, it is important to understand how the poster was printed. A method of printing known as lithography was used.  It was invented in 1796 by Alois Senefelder, who was a German author and actor.  Lithography used an image drawn with wax, fat, or oil onto the surface of a lithographic limestone plate, because of the smooth texture.  A process known as “etching” was used by covering the stone with a mixture of acid and gum arabic.  This would then attract water and would be transferred to a piece of cotton paper (3).

Ludwig Holwein's work is very clearly German Propaganda because the design differs greatly from British propaganda posters.  Propaganda plays a huge role in any war, especially the first world war.  There is a striking difference between German and British propaganda posters, one being very straight forward and the other being very artistic and detailed.  The British propaganda was very intricate and relied heavily on slogans.  German propaganda posters were often just large illustrations that were based on photographs.  Instead of slogans, they simply highlighted the lack of resources Germany had in order to persuade people to donate money.  An interesting design aspect is the lack of bright colors in this poster. The colors he used are much more subdued, likely in order to create a sadder tone to the poster. The use of bright colors would feel out of place in a poster highlighting disabled veterans.

Propaganda posters often used emotional manipulation in order to make people care about the issues. In the ‘Ludendorff Fund for the War Wounded’ poster, it depicts a wounded man who is in need of help. He is holding crutches and has a distressed look upon his face.  Though not depicted in the poster by Ludwig Holwein, propaganda often portrays the enemy as evil, because it helps justify their violence (1).

A famous propaganda poster for the British also encourages men to enlist by using a different form of manipulation: playing with gender roles and masculinity.

This poster was released by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee in 1915.  The purpose of this was to make men feel as if they had no choice in enlisting, because they would not be ‘real’ men if they did not.  There is a clear difference in how the British propaganda posters attempt to recruit soldiers and how the German propaganda posters ask for donations for money.  One plays on emotion and sympathy, the other on how men have been traditionally raised.  

In Ludwig Holwein’s poster, The ‘Ludendorff Fund for the War Wounded,’ the font that is used plays an important role in the tone of it.  The exact font used for many posters, such as the one Holwein made, is called Fraktur.  This font was very heavily used in Germany in the twentieth century, and was huge during Hitler’s reign in World War II.  Nearly all official Nazi documents used this font.  The effect of this font played a role in how civilians understood the propaganda posters. The broken script carries connotations of danger and severity, as it is associated with the middles ages.  There is a great deal of mystery surrounding this time period, and mystery is often associated with danger.  This, along with the subdued colors Holwein is so keen on using, creates an energy very different from the British propaganda posters. Fraktur is much less charming than the cursive font that is used in the British propaganda poster. The bright colors in the British poster, along with the detail have very different impacts on civilians.  It is hard to say one is more effective than the other, though Germany did lose the war.  

Though propaganda posters seem to be a thing of the past, it is important to remember how subtle they were, and still are.  It may not be thought of as propaganda now, but advertisements often have very similar effects. In today's political climate, propaganda is being used in many small ways that are easy to miss if one does not look for them.  It is not always as obvious as asking for donations for the war or inviting civilians to enlist, though that does still occur.  Propaganda is still used in elections by creating a common enemy to justify the harm the government inflicts upon innocent people.  Ludwig Holwein understood how to use colors, fonts, and images in order to evoke certain emotions from civilians living in Germany at the time.  Though Germany lost the war, the posters were effective in getting donations for the war. Looking at the posters now, it is clear propaganda has advanced into a more nuanced direction, though as civilization progresses it will continuously become more and more subtle.  It is increasingly important to question the motives behind how the elite attempt to sway public opinion.

Works Cited

1. Lasswell, Harold. Propaganda Techniques in World War I. London: M.I.T. Press,1927.
2. Welch, David. Germany, Propaganda, and Total War. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2000.
3. Pennel ER, ed. (1915). Lithography and Lithographers. London: T. Fisher Unwin Publisher.