The Fabric of Democracy: Propaganda Textiles from the French Revolution to Brexit

Posted by Verity on January 8, 2024 in Art, Exhibition, Fashion, History, Japan, Leisure activities, Politics | 2 comments

Fashion and Textile Museum, 85 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3FX, till 24 March 2024

The word ‘propaganda’ trails behind it echoes of 1984: an enterprise by which the individual is bludgeoned into submission by bold – and bald – statements that they doubt at their peril. The exhibition currently on at the Fashion and Textile Museum demonstrates just how unambitious this perception of propaganda is.

Curated by design historian Amber Butchard, who is herself a walking advertisement for the glories of 40s’ style, the exhibition embraces the widest possible range of textiles, and covers the globe, often looking beyond the textiles themselves to the artistic and cultural context in which they are being deployed as well as the political one.

Only a fraction of the exhibits attempt any bludgeoning – many of them whisper seductively instead. It would be hard to beat the glamorous red satin cocktail dress ‘sprigged’ with a woven-in design of Festival of Britain logos (as created by Abram Games) as a way of persuading the populace that Britain is regaining its confidence and prosperity after World War II, austerity notwithstanding. And for the woman who doesn’t actually get to go to cocktail parties there is a humbler cotton frock printed with an extravagant pattern of the coronation coach and Buckingham Palace.

Scarves and hankies feature prominently in the exhibition, easy to distribute, portable and quickly concealed about the person. There are examples of them from throughout the period covered by the exhibition. The ‘Peace in Our Time’ scarf has a visual appeal that makes it a stunning accessory, regardless of its message. Oh to truffle out such a trophy at a jumble sale or charity shop!

The most covetable ‘scarves’ of all are silk escape maps, for use by servicemen in World War II. The USP of these maps is that they will not rustle when you are consulting them behind enemy lines – and when no longer needed they make fabulous souvenirs for a wife or girlfriend, refashioned into a set of silk underwear – or perhaps a dressing gown for sir?

Across the pond, US agriculture companies contributed to consolidating the country’s self-image by printing its seed sacks with cowboys and Disney characters. Once empty, these sacks could be refashioned into cheap, patriotic clothing.

The exhibits from Japan embody in individual garments the contradictions that always strike me in their culture: the extreme delicacy of their poetry, woodblock images and formal manners as set against the brutality of their ways of warfare are reflected in exquisite kimonos printed with tanks and bombers. Similarly, Chinese fabrics conceal among their colourful floral patterns the silhouettes of factories, workshops and chimneys.

There are countless more riches in this exhibition, which manages to be at once compact and expansive. The items on display have been loaned from an impressive array of collections across the world, and the accompanying information is thoughtful, weaving a coherent narrative about this unexamined area of ‘influencing’. Definitely worth a visit.