Comparative Analysis of 'The Uncle Sam Range' by Schumacher & Ettlinger and 'Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War?' by Savile Lumley

The two advertisements go about their business in hugely different ways. Savile's poster uses minimal but strikingly effective type, hammering home its message with little distraction. In stark contrast, so cluttered is 'The Uncle Sam Range' that much of its minute detail goes completely unnoticed. 

Savile's minimal composition and position of his characters draw the viewer straight to the scene, noting the details, the family man with his children playing in the comfortable, affluent surroundings. Is the man a war hero who is looking out at you the viewer from his comfortable life, the promise of a well earned comfort after doing his time, or is the man one of those who didn't go to war, his vacant stare willing you not to make the same mistake he did. Yes, there's things left unsaid, but in comparison to 'The Uncle Sam Range', the ambiguities only enhance the advert.

The Uncle Sam Range' takes a much more full on approach to type and layout. There is so much going on in fact that the primary function - to advertise the range cooker - is lost in the anger. The numerous typefaces are distracting to the extreme, with the main title 'The "Uncle Sam" Range' employing a quintessentially American typeface reminiscent of wild west movies, backing up the patriotism so blatantly on show throughout almost every other aspect of the image.

Said patriotism is evident in both pieces, however it must be said that Savile's work utilises national pride in a much more dignified manner. 'The Uncle Sam Range' places its characters; Uncle Sam, his wife, three children hailing from different regions of the USA, the 'world' and a black slave together in a room decorated floor to ceiling in the stars and stripes. The clock showing the last hundred years, from 1776 - 1876, Americas first hundred years of independence. Savile's piece is more subtle, employing a few key stereotypically English aspects. Notice the English Rose on the the curtains and the toy soldiers the boy is playing with, both combining to subtle effect to create an imagined future of a sitting room fit for any Englishman who has just returned from the war. 

In a time of extreme patriarchy, the 'Uncle Sam' scene would have pleased males to such a degree that the cooker may have looked incredibly appealing. Schumacher & Ettlinger's job was to sell a product, which they attempted through depicting an enviable - if a little surreal - scene. Savile's poster is government issue, with no physical product to sell, when compared, the piece makes use of a similar psychological ploy, though in my view this piece is less two-dimensional. In 1915, men looking at his poster, would see either the comfortable life one could earn through going to war or the cold shame one would receive through not going to war, not fighting for their country.

In conclusion, both pieces go about their business in highly contrasting ways. I believe Savile's poster to be more successful in conveying its message. A clean typeface and effective image can go a long way. Yes, 'Uncle Sam' is loaded with much more information but is let down by incredibly overcooked details which ultimately backfire and compromise the clear communication of the advertisement.