This poster, created by the British government, took still another approach. Here, the ideal of British womanhood is suggested through the depiction of its implied opposite, a cruel German nurse. With German officers looking on approvingly, an older, unattractive woman is shown deliberately increasing the suffering of a wounded soldier. Thus the image highlighted the immorality of the enemy, at the same time that it encouraged viewers to imagine themselves demonstrating British superiority through gentle, compassionate nursing.

Questions to Consider