The Leading Comic Postcard Artists in the First World War

With David Marks

Humorous postcards were immensely popular during the First World War, as the Government encouraged their use as a means of communication, to bolster morale, stiffen resolve, and lift the spirit of the nation. They bound the community together, especially when laughing at some common hardship or adversity.
There were a number of British professional artists closely associated with the design of humorous postcards, or comic cards as they are usually called. David’s presentation concentrates on the two leading artists of the genre, Donald McGill and Frederick Spurgin, and offers a unique perspective on the First World War on the Home Front. These two artists found fame and recognition due to their cheeky, cutesy, frequently sarcastic and sometimes even risqué designs.

About the speaker:

David lives in North London and is a committee member of The Great War Aviation Society and writes its quarterly e-newsletter, “Wind in the Wires”, which has over 2,000 subscribers. He is also a longstanding member of the Airship Heritage Trust.
David contributes to books, journals, magazines on First World War subjects and his first book, “Let the Zeppelins Come”, focusing on the morale boosting impact of comic postcards to the British public, was published in March 2017 and received national press coverage. His second book “The Zeppelin Offensive: A German Perspective in Pictures and Postcards” was published in October 2019.
David regularly lectures on First World War subjects, drawing on his unique and extensive collection of postcards and contemporary memorabilia.