That Winning Smile
Halfsheet World War II propaganda poster, created in 1944, is a Dutch anti-communist and anti-Allied print issued by the Waffen-SS, Landstorm Nederland. The Dutch text at the bottom, "Nu gaat het er om niet het hoofd te verliezen" translates to "Now the point is not to lose your head".
Poster Analysis
Issuing Body: Waffen-SS, Landstorm Nederland (a Dutch collaborationist paramilitary organization).
Date: 1944.
Message: The poster is a piece of anti-Soviet and anti-Allied propaganda designed to incite fear of a "Total Soviet Victory" and a subsequent communist takeover in the Netherlands during the German occupation (1940-1945). It aimed to encourage Dutch citizens to support the collaborationist forces.
Imagery and Symbolism:
The Man: A man, possibly representing the average Dutchman or a Western leader, has his head under a scale. His "winning smile" suggests a naive confidence.
The Balance: A large weight labeled "Totale Sovjet Overwinning" (Total Soviet Victory), passed by a bloody hand, threatens to drop onto the man's head. On the other side, much smaller weights are labeled with Allied-controlled or desired territories/events such as "Invasie Nederland" (Invasion Netherlands) and various placenames (e.g., CHARBON, COTENTIN, WITEBS).
The Woman: A woman attempts to bar the large Soviet weight, suggesting an effort to stop the imminent threat.
Bottom Text: The call to action "LEEST STORM-44" (Read Storm-44) refers to a National Socialist publication, urging people to follow their ideological guidance to avoid the depicted fate.
Thinking
Searching
The artist of the "That Winning Smile" (Leest Storm SS) propaganda poster is
Harald Damsleth.
Harald Damsleth (1906-1971) was a Norwegian cartoonist and illustrator known for creating nearly 200 World War II propaganda posters for the Nazis. The poster was produced in 1944 in the occupied Netherlands. While some auction listings occasionally label the artist as "Anonymous," other specialized sources confirm Damsleth's authorship.
Poster Analysis
Issuing Body: Waffen-SS, Landstorm Nederland (a Dutch collaborationist paramilitary organization).
Date: 1944.
Message: The poster is a piece of anti-Soviet and anti-Allied propaganda designed to incite fear of a "Total Soviet Victory" and a subsequent communist takeover in the Netherlands during the German occupation (1940-1945). It aimed to encourage Dutch citizens to support the collaborationist forces.
Imagery and Symbolism:
The Man: A man, possibly representing the average Dutchman or a Western leader, has his head under a scale. His "winning smile" suggests a naive confidence.
The Balance: A large weight labeled "Totale Sovjet Overwinning" (Total Soviet Victory), passed by a bloody hand, threatens to drop onto the man's head. On the other side, much smaller weights are labeled with Allied-controlled or desired territories/events such as "Invasie Nederland" (Invasion Netherlands) and various placenames (e.g., CHARBON, COTENTIN, WITEBS).
The Woman: A woman attempts to bar the large Soviet weight, suggesting an effort to stop the imminent threat.
Bottom Text: The call to action "LEEST STORM-44" (Read Storm-44) refers to a National Socialist publication, urging people to follow their ideological guidance to avoid the depicted fate.
Thinking
Searching
The artist of the "That Winning Smile" (Leest Storm SS) propaganda poster is
Harald Damsleth.
Harald Damsleth (1906-1971) was a Norwegian cartoonist and illustrator known for creating nearly 200 World War II propaganda posters for the Nazis. The poster was produced in 1944 in the occupied Netherlands. While some auction listings occasionally label the artist as "Anonymous," other specialized sources confirm Damsleth's authorship.
Mounted
Disclaimer
The object and/or subject of this report is private property. This page is for informational purposes only. Unless clearly stated otherwise, all conservation and restoration has been performed by Poster Mountain (PM) or Los Angeles Paper Group (LAPG)I) PM-LAPG has not knowingly withheld any significant information from its evaluation report and to the best of its knowledge all statements and evaluations in this report are true and correct.
II) PM-LAPG stated in the Evaluation Report its own personal, unbiased and professional analysis, opinions and conclusions, which are subject to the assumptions and limited conditions in this evaluation report as set forth hereinabove.
III) PM-LAPG has no present or prospective interests in the property which is the subject matter of this report and it has no present or prospective personal interests or bias with respect to the participants in this matter.
IV) PM-LAPG and its employment and/or compensation for performing this evaluation or any future anticipated evaluation was not conditioned on any agreement or understanding, written or otherwise, that it would report (or present analysis in support) as predetermined specific authenticity, a predetermined evaluation that favors the cause of any party or the attainment of any specific result or occurrence of a specific subsequent event, such as value or marketability.
V) PM-LAPG prepared all opinions and conclusions about the subject property that were set forth in this Evaluation Report. If it has relied on significant evaluation assistance from any individual or individuals in the performance of this evaluation or the appropriation of this evaluation report, PM-LAPG has named such individuals and disclosed the specific task performed in this evaluation report. PM-LAPG certifies that any individual so named is qualified to the same extent as PM to perform the task. PM-LAPG has not authorized anyone to make a change to any item in this evaluation report, therefore, any change made to this evaluation is unauthorized and PM-LAPG will not take responsibility for it.
VI) The Client may not disclose or distribute this Evaluation Report to any potential purchasers of the subject property without first obtaining PM-LAPG's prior written consent. This consent must be obtained before this evaluation report may be disclosed or distributed to any other party, including, but not limited to, the public through advertising, public relations, news, sales, or other media.