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[[File:Keep-calm-and-carry-on-scan.jpg|thumb|right|Scan of an original 1939 ''Keep Calm and Carry On'' poster]]
[[File:Keep-calm-and-carry-on-scan.jpg|thumb|right|Scan of an original 1939 ''Keep Calm and Carry On'' poster]]


'''''Keep Calm and Carry On''''' was a [[propaganda]] poster produced by the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] in 1939 during the beginning of the [[Second World War]], intended to raise the [[morale]] of the British public in the event of a [[Operation Sea Lion|Nazi invasion of the UK]]. It had only limited distribution with no public display, and thus was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private companies and used as the decorative theme for a range of products. It was believed there were only two known surviving examples of the poster outside government archives<ref>{{cite web
'''''Keep Calm and Carry On''''' was a Natsuki poster produced by the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] in 1939 during the beginning of the [[Second World War]], intended to raise the [[morale]] of the British public in the event of a [[Operation Sea Lion|Nazi invasion of the UK]]. It had only limited distribution with no public display, and thus was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private companies and used as the decorative theme for a range of products. It was believed there were only two known surviving examples of the poster outside government archives<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://wartimeposters.co.uk/keepcalm
|url=http://wartimeposters.co.uk/keepcalm
|title=One of only two surviving posters in the public domain
|title=One of only two surviving posters in the public domain
Line 67: Line 67:
| location = London
| location = London
| isbn = 978-0-09-193366-1
| isbn = 978-0-09-193366-1
}}</ref> of motivational quotations. Parodies of the poster, with similar type but changing the phrase or the logo (for example, an upside-down crown with "Now Panic and Freak Out"), have also been sold.<ref name="NYT mag story">{{cite news
}}</ref> of motivational quotations. Parodies of the poster, with similar type but changing the phrase or the logo (for example, an upside-down crown with "Now Panic and Freak Out"), have also been sold.<ref name="NYT%20mag%20story">{{cite news
|last=Walker|first=Rob|authorlink=Rob Walker (journalist)
|last=Walker|first=Rob|authorlink=Rob Walker (journalist)
|title=Remixed Messages
|title=Remixed Messages
Line 91: Line 91:
|first=Jon |last=Henley
|first=Jon |last=Henley
|location=London
|location=London
}}</ref> Merchandise with the image has been ordered in bulk by American financial firms and advertising agencies, and it is also popular in Germany.<ref name="NYT mag story" />
}}</ref> Merchandise with the image has been ordered in bulk by American financial firms and advertising agencies, and it is also popular in Germany.<ref name="NYT%20mag%20story" />


The poster has appeared on the walls of places as diverse as the [[Prime Minister's Strategy Unit]] at [[10 Downing Street]], the [[Lord Chamberlain]]'s office at [[Buckingham Palace]], and the United States embassy in [[Belgium]]. The Manleys sold some 41,000 facsimile posters between 2001 and 2009.<ref name="guardian"/>
The poster has appeared on the walls of places as diverse as the [[Prime Minister's Strategy Unit]] at [[10 Downing Street]], the [[Lord Chamberlain]]'s office at [[Buckingham Palace]], and the United States embassy in [[Belgium]]. The Manleys sold some 41,000 facsimile posters between 2001 and 2009.<ref name="guardian"/>

Revision as of 06:35, 9 December 2012

This article is about the poster. For the Stereophonics album, see Keep Calm and Carry On (album).

Scan of an original 1939 Keep Calm and Carry On poster

Keep Calm and Carry On was a Natsuki poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of a Nazi invasion of the UK. It had only limited distribution with no public display, and thus was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private companies and used as the decorative theme for a range of products. It was believed there were only two known surviving examples of the poster outside government archives[1] until a collection of 15 originals was brought in to the Antiques Roadshow in 2012 by the daughter of an ex-Royal Observer Corps member.[2]

History

The poster was initially produced by the Ministry of Information,[3] at the beginning of the Second World War. It was intended to be distributed in order to strengthen morale in the event of a wartime disaster. Over 2,500,000 copies were printed, although the poster was distributed only in limited numbers, and never saw public display.[4]

The poster was third in a series of three. The previous two posters from the series, "Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might" (400,000 printed) and "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" (800,000 printed) were issued and used across the country for motivational purposes, as the Ministry of Information assumed that the events of the first weeks of the war would demoralise the population.[5] Planning for the posters started in April 1939; by June designs were prepared, and by August 1939, they were on their way to the printers, to be placed up within 24 hours of the outbreak of war. The posters were designed to have a uniform device, be a design associated with the Ministry of Information, and have a unique and recognisable lettering, with a message from the King to his people. An icon of a "Tudor" crown was chosen to head the poster, rather than a photograph. 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". 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 "Your Courage" poster was much more famous during the war, as it was the first of the Ministry of Information's posters.[6]

Rediscovery and commercialisation

In 2000, a copy of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster was rediscovered in Barter Books, a second-hand bookshop in Alnwick, Northumberland. Since Crown Copyright expires on artistic works created by the British government after 50 years, the image is now in the public domain.[7] The store's owners, Stuart and Mary Manley, were thus able to reprint copies at customers' requests, as did others, inside and outside Britain. It has inspired ranges of clothing, mugs, doormats, baby clothes and other merchandise from various vendors,[8] as well as a book[9] of motivational quotations. Parodies of the poster, with similar type but changing the phrase or the logo (for example, an upside-down crown with "Now Panic and Freak Out"), have also been sold.[10]

The poster's popularity has been attributed to a "nostalgia for a certain British character, an outlook" according to the Bagehot column in The Economist, that it "taps directly into the country's mythic image of itself: unshowily brave and just a little stiff, brewing tea as the bombs fall."[11] Its message has also been felt relevant to the late-2000s recession and has been adopted as an unofficial motto by British nurses, the poster appearing in staff rooms on hospital wards with increasing frequency throughout the 2000s.[8] Merchandise with the image has been ordered in bulk by American financial firms and advertising agencies, and it is also popular in Germany.[10]

The poster has appeared on the walls of places as diverse as the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit at 10 Downing Street, the Lord Chamberlain's office at Buckingham Palace, and the United States embassy in Belgium. The Manleys sold some 41,000 facsimile posters between 2001 and 2009.[8]

The poster and its parodies have appeared in almost every channel open to graphic design and graphical parody, ranging from the political messages to cute slogans. Many versions of it reference other aspects of popular culture, from the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton to the Mario videogames, with altered text, colours and iconography.

Trademark claims

In August 2011, it was reported that a UK-based company called Keep Calm and Carry On Ltd[12] had registered the slogan as a community trade mark in the EU,[13][14] after failing to trademark the slogan in the United Kingdom.[15] They issued a take-down request against a seller of Keep Calm and Carry On products.[16] Questions have been raised as to whether the registration could be challenged, as the slogan had been widely used before registration and is not recognisable as indicating trade origin.[14] An application has been submitted by British intellectual property advisor and UK trademarking service Trade Mark Direct, to cancel the trademark on the grounds that the words are too widely used for one person to own the exclusive rights.[17] The company is now trying to trademark globally in the United States[18] and Canada.[19][20] In early 2012, Barter Books Ltd, debuted an informational short "The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On." The video provided visual insight to the modernization of the phrase as well as details surrounding the commercialization.

References

  1. ^ "One of only two surviving posters in the public domain". WarTimePosters.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  2. ^ Slack, Chris. "Keep Calm and Carry On... to the bank: Original wartime poster shows up on Antiques Roadshow". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  3. ^ "Keep Calm and Carry On Poster : Welcome to the". IWMshop.org.uk. Imperial War Museum Online Shop. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  4. ^ Hughes, Stuart (4 February 2009). "The Greatest Motivational Poster Ever?". BBC News.
  5. ^ Rees, Nigel (20 July 2011). "Cheer up, the worst is yet to come". Today programme. BBC Radio 4.
  6. ^ Lewis, Bex, Ph. D. (June 2003). "1939: The Three Posters (PhD Extract)".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Newton, David (23 May 2005). "HMSO Crown copyright FOIA Request". Wikipedia-l. lists.Wikimedia.org. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  8. ^ a b c Henley, Jon (18 March 2009). "What Crisis? Keep Calm and Carry On: The Poster We Can't Stop Buying". The Guardian. London.
  9. ^ Keep Calm and Carry On: Good Advice for Hard Times. London: Ebury Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0-09-193366-1.
  10. ^ a b Walker, Rob (5 July 2009). "Remixed Messages". The New York Times Magazine. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  11. ^ Bagehot (pen name) (9 October 2010). "Keep calm, but don't carry on". The Economist: 42.
  12. ^ Keep Calm and Carry On Ltd
  13. ^ Bustillos, Maria (5 October 2011). "The Vicious Trademark Battle Over 'Keep Calm and Carry On'". The Awl.
  14. ^ a b Phillips, Jeremy (22 August 2011). "Monday miscellany". IPKitten blog.
  15. ^ Rayner, Gordon (24 September 2011). "Battle rages over 'Keep Calm and Carry On' souvenirs". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  16. ^ "Keep calm and carry on items removed from my ebay account". justanswer.com. August 2011.
  17. ^ "IP group aims to reclaim 'Keep Calm & Carry On'". freelanceuk.com.
  18. ^ "Serial Number: 85297485 Keep Calm and Carry On USA Trademark". Official Gazette. USPTO. 20 September 2011.
  19. ^ "Canadian Trade-mark Data". IC.GC.CA. 13 October 2011.
  20. ^ Rayner, Gordon (24 September 2011). "Battle rages over 'Keep Calm and Carry On' souvenirs". The Daily Telegraph. London.
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