War and Political Propaganda

The Wolfsonian holds an impressive collection of war propaganda from almost all the combatant countries in both World Wars along with a number of smaller wars. Items in this category range widely from posters, postcards, sheet music, and medallions to paintings and sculpture.

The collection also contains holdings related to the far-reaching propaganda campaigns waged during the interwar period, especially by the totalitarian governments of Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union. Vivid representations of the personality cults constructed around the dictators of these countries are also prevalent, such as a Central Asian tapestry portraying Joseph Stalin or a poster depicting Benito Mussolini in the guise of a Roman emperor.