Vintage Poster Archives
Peter Kennard CND 1980 | Nuclear Disarmament Propaganda Poster
Peter Kennard CND 1980 | Nuclear Disarmament Propaganda Poster
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A skeleton holds the government's 'Protect and Survive' leaflet against a stark black background, the bones rendered in high contrast against the darkness. Bold white text asks 'Have you ever wished you were better informed?' while the CND peace symbol anchors the composition.
Designed by Peter Kennard in 1980 for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, during the height of Cold War nuclear anxiety. Kennard, now Professor of Political Art at the Royal College of Art, created this photomontage to challenge the government's civil defence campaign that offered dubious advice on surviving nuclear attack. The work deconstructs official imagery through visual irony, turning the state's own materials against its message.
Kennard's technique combined traditional cut-and-paste photomontage with photography, creating hard-hitting monochrome images that defined protest imagery for the CND generation. The composition uses found materials and government publications, reconstructed to reveal what Kennard called the 'unrevealed truth' behind official messaging.
This archival print depicts one of the most recognised images from Britain's 1980s peace movement, when photomontage served as a weapon against nuclear proliferation.
