From the exhibition "Überklebt - Propaganda aus der DDR." Ludwig Winkler, 1984.

Poster art has tradition in Germany. You can still find various Litfaßsäulen or advertising columns in urban quarters today. Good ol' Ernst Litfaß, a Berlin native invented the thing in 1854. The poster above is from the GDR poster exhibition in Schwerin this past October.

It is the most comprehensive collection of East German posters today. Upon entry I was immediately given the nish nish on photography, so I laid down 20 Euros and purchased the 200 page book - scanners and 48k modems? There's your digital workaround for Dr. Sylke Wunderlich's dissertation. Since posters have such a short life span in the printed world, why not give Ludwig some extra love.

Many posters were propaganda, especially those of the one and only SED party. Surprinsingly enough, themes covered everything from theater to peace. Even Bob Marley was known in the Warsaw Pact. And Rene Graetz's 1950 piece portrays how dollar and peace fit together, whereas the military police was regarded in light of imperialism. They also had Santa, who shopped at Konsument, the former communist shoppers paradise, only if you had funny money of course.