![]() The few originals to have appeared on the open market in recent years have fetched between $10,000 to $20,000 at auction – and with the poster now regarded as a 20 th century design classic, it’s likely that they’ll remain sought after by collectors for decades to come. British wartime poster released in 1939, Keep Calm and Carry On, England, UK Haworth 40s Weekend Original Keep Calm and Carry On Sign Stock Photo Man walking. Until 2012 it was though that just two copies remained in existence, before a collection of 12 posters turned up on an episode of the U.K Antiques Roadshow. Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for the Second World War. Today the exact number of surviving original examples is unknown. Other companies soon followed suit, and today the phrase can be found on everything from T-shirts to tote bags, along with endless parodies such as “Keep Calm and Drink Gin” and “Keep Calm and Call Batman”. Having found the poster folded amongst a collection of second-hand books, they framed it and hung it in their shop, where it attracted attention from customers and inspired a short print run of reproductions. The existence of the poster remained virtually unknown to modern experts until 2000, when a single surviving copy was discovered by British bookshop owners Stuart and Mary Manley. Today the slogan is celebrated as an example of British stoicism in the face of adversity – but back in 1939 the posters were hated by the public, who saw them as patronizing and demeaning.īy October 1939 the entire project had been cancelled, and almost all the “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters were pulped in April 1940 without being used. The example sold at Swann Auction Galleries was one of the 30″ x 20″ format posters, which original documents show was printed in a run of 496,500 copies. The poster was designed by an unknown artist and printed by the Ministry of Information in 1939 (Image: Swann Auction Galleries) It’s estimated that 2,500,000 copies of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster were printed in 12 different sizes, although they were kept in storage to be used only in the event of a major incident, such as a serious air raid or the invasion of Britain. ![]() The posters were printed on 23 August, the same day that Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with the USSR, and were ready to go up around the nation as soon as war was declared on September 3. It was originally produced by the Ministry of Information in the summer of 1939, as part of a series which also included two further designs: “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory” and “Freedom Is in Peril. The “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster is now one of the world’s most famous poster designs, and has been the subject of countless reproductions, memes and parodies. The famous British WWII propaganda poster sold for $12,500, as part of an auction of rare posters on August 1. And, it’s something that should never fade from fashion.to Keep calm and carry on.An original “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster was amongst the top lots of Swann Auction Galleries‘ recent sale in New York. ![]() Today, amid a different kind of world war, against an invisible enemy: coronavirus, the most iconic poster of the century has taken on new relevance, delivering timeless wisdom.Īs the words from a short film about the poster, remind us, “Like a voice out of history, it offers a very simple warmhearted message to inspire confidence in others during difficult times. Since then, it has been parodied and reproduced by the millions. Shop owners, Mary and Stuart Manley decided to display the poster, which became so popular with patrons, they chose to make copies. It was inside a box of dusty old books that had been bought at auction. Then, over half a century later, a copy of the poster was found at Barter Books, a second-hand shop, housed in an old Victorian train station, located in northeast corner of England. It is believed that the Keep Calm posters were destroyed and reduced to pulp at the end of the war in 1945. ![]()
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