Hurrah, die Butter ist alle! (Hurrah, the butter is all finished!)

More Information

Made during a period of food shortages, this parody of propaganda images ironically suggests that the middle class may not share government priorities. The whole family tries to eat items that the government feels are more important than food: machine oil, guns, bullets, bicycle handles and other metal objects. The motto on the wall says “Dear Fatherland you may be peaceful!” and is from a popular song written in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian war. Note the swastika wallpaper, the portrait of Hitler elevated on an easel and one of von Hindenburg on a couch cushion. In the 1970s and 1980s, this image inspired songs by the punk group Siouxsie & the Banshees and the post-punk band Blurt.

Keywords

Propaganda
Germany
Commercial Art
World War II
Photogravure
Photomontage
Politics