Vintage Poster Archives
Labour Dawn 1923 | Merritt British Political Poster
Labour Dawn 1923 | Merritt British Political Poster
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A triumphant worker silhouette raises his arms against a radiating orange dawn over the industrial cityscape of 1920s Britain. The composition places hope in visual form: one figure against the sunburst, flanked by woman and child, above the smokestacks and rooftops of industrial England.
Designed by A.S. Merritt for the Labour Party's 1923 general election campaign, this poster emerged from the party's 1922 design competition. Merritt's winning entry depicted the optimism of a movement on the verge of power, translating political aspiration into bold graphic design.
The 1923 election delivered Labour's breakthrough: 191 seats and the chance to form Britain's first Labour government under Ramsay MacDonald. Though the coalition with the Liberals lasted less than a year, the poster's message of dawn breaking over industrial Britain proved prophetic.
Reproduced as an archival print from the original held at the Hoover Institution, this represents the era when political parties commissioned artists to visualise their vision rather than relying on photography or text alone.
