Telling a friend may mean telling the enemy Accession Number: ARTV03638

Description

British Second World War poster cautions against indiscriminate talk. The poster depicts four couples in each corner, the narrative of the communicated message begins with the soldier in the top left corner, and ends in the lower right corner with a German spy. The upper left quadrant contains a soldier in a blue British forage cap talking to a blonde woman on a red background with the word 'TELLING' in white lettering. The upper right quadrant contains the same blonde woman talking to a red-headed woman on a white background with the words 'a friend may' in blue lettering. The lower left quadrant contains the same red-headed woman talking to a black-haired woman on a white background with the words 'mean telling' in blue lettering. The lower right quadrant contains the same black-haired woman talking to a blonde man (who symbolises the enemy) on a red background with the words 'THE ENEMY' in white lettering.

Details

Accession Number
ARTV03638
Artist
Unknown
Printer
J Weiner Ltd
Classification
Art
Object Type
Poster
Measurement
Overall: 76.1 cm x 50.8 cm
Medium
Offset lithograph on paper
Date Made
c. 1939-1945
Place Made
Whole/Part
Whole
Item Count
1
Credit Line
Transferred from the AWM Research Centre 1979
Copyright
Copyright expired - public domain

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Last modified: 23 September 2025 - 11.45 pm