British Posters: Advertising, Art & Activism

Drawing on the V&A’s wide-ranging poster collection, this book traces the evolution of the poster in the hands of graphic designers and fine artists, advertising agencies, and countercultural groups in Britain since 1945. The range spans “Keep Britain Tidy” campaigns, lavishly produced Benson & Hedges billboards, punk-rock posters, hand-printed indictments of Margaret Thatcher, and public art projects on the Underground. From conflicts over the content and control of public space to posters tacked to bedroom walls, Catherine Flood examines how the poster in Britain has adapted itself to a changing technological environment and defied predictions of its demise.