Enlist

This is an unusually delicate and subtly printed Australian recruiting poster. However, the beauty of the composition and colours belies the violent and tragic subject matter. It features a raid by two Zeppelins on a European town, with an inset of woman and children being injured in the ensuing bomb blasts. The Zeppelins hover silently in the night air as the bombs trail to the ground against a carefully coloured sky - the entire scene is strongly reminiscent of a woodblock print of fireworks by renowned nineteenth century Japanese artist, Hokusai. The colours are carefully balanced, so that the colour of the family members in the inset matches the tan of the Zeppelins. The title 'Enlist' drops down the side of the page, echoing the downward motion of the bombs.