![]() ![]() "What seemed to the Manleys as just a bit of quintessential British nostalgia has morphed into an international industry." Mary Manley later commented, "I didn't want it trivialised. Other companies followed suit, and the design rapidly began to be used as the theme for a wide range of products. The couple framed it and hung it up by the cash register and it attracted so much interest that Manley began to produce and sell copies. in Alnwick, Northumberland, was sorting through a box of used books bought at auction when he uncovered one of the original "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters. In 2000, Stuart Manley, co-owner with his wife Mary of Barter Books Ltd. Shop display of "Keep Calm" merchandise, including the original slogan and variants such as "Keep Calm and Drink Tea". The leaflet then lists a number of practical measures to be taken. The text identifies them as the two "great order(s) and dut(ies)" to and for the people, should invasion come. The two phrases do not appear in one sentence, but are picked out in an emphatic font. It begins "If invasion comes." and goes on to exhort the populace to "Stand Firm" and "Carry On". Later in the war, a leaflet was distributed with a message from Prime Minister Winston Churchill headed "Beating the Invader". Design historian Susannah Walker regards the campaign as "a resounding failure", and reflective of a misjudgement by upper-class civil servants of the mood of the people. However, although the campaign was prompt, and although 800,000 of the "Freedom Is In Peril" and "Your Courage" posters were distributed, many people claimed not to have seen them while those who did see them regarded them as patronising and divisive. ![]() The "Your Courage" poster was much more famous during the war, as it was the first of the Ministry of Information's posters. These particular posters were designed as "a statement of the duty of the individual citizen", un-pictorial, to be accompanied by more colloquial designs. The slogans were created by civil servants, with a career civil servant named Waterfield coming up with "Your Courage" as "a rallying war-cry that will bring out the best in everyone of us and put us in an offensive mood at once". An icon of a "Tudor" crown (a widely used symbol of government authority) was chosen to head the poster, rather than a photograph. The posters were intended to be associated with the Ministry of Information, and to incorporate a unique and recognisable lettering and design, with a message from the King to his people. Planning for the posters started in April 1939 by June designs were prepared, and by August 1939, production had begun, and the posters were ready to be placed up within 24 hours of the outbreak of war. Defend It With All Your Might" and "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" were issued and used across Britain for motivational purposes, as the Ministry of Information assumed that the events of the first weeks of the war would demoralise the population. The previous two posters from the series, " Freedom Is In Peril. The poster was third in a series of three. Bristol photographer Reece Winstone's book of wartime photographs of the city shows the poster in large form on a billboard. Over 2,500,000 copies were printed, although the poster was distributed only in limited numbers, and never saw public display. It was intended to be distributed in order to strengthen morale in the event of a wartime disaster, such as mass bombing of major cities using high explosives and poison gas, which was widely expected within hours of an outbreak of war. The phrase has been recently revived in popular culture with a series of witty variations, such as “Keep calm and rock on” or “Keep calm and eat a cookie,” to list a few.The poster was initially produced by the Ministry of Information, at the beginning of the Second World War. The queen kept her poise, giving only the faintest of smiles at Hollande’s self-deprecating humour. Hollande’s approval ratings have steadily plummeted in recent months, making him the most unpopular French president in recent history. “I don’t dare make it my personal motto,” he added to peals of laughter from the audience. “Madame, your family incarnates the serenity expressed by this slogan,” he said in French to the monarch, before switching into heavily-accented English to say, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” The slogan was first printed by the British government on a poster in 1939 as a way to motivate the country, which was faced with the prospect of entry into WWII. Standing in front of the 240 guests, Hollande slipped in a wisecrack in front of his regal visitor using Britain’s much-touted saying, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” ![]()
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