Femininity in Propaganda: "Keep These Hands Off" by Gordon K. Odell

Gordon K. Odell designed the Canadian propaganda piece, Keep These Hands Off (1941-42), to encourage the public to buy victory bonds. These bonds would help finance the military throughout World War II. The war costs the Allies, including the U.S., Russia, France, England, and Canada, enormous sums of money from the years 1939 to 1945. Thus, the governments needed the support of the common people to successfully progress in the war. Canada’s government sold victory bonds for money and to make buyers feel as if they were contributing to the war, resulting in a morale boost.

In Keep These Hands Off, there are symbols on two hands, which represent Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. The hands loom over a mother and her young child (Picture History). Above the two, Odell wrote 'Keep these hands off!' as a form of persuading men to join the military. The mother and child are in the center of the propaganda. They are painted with pale, delicate colors while dark, witch-like hands jeopardize their security. These details are important because they affect the viewer on an emotional level, by making them feel responsible for the wellbeing of women and children. The mother and child are symbols of the helplessness of the female gender and suggest the need to protect them through aiding the war’s finances.

Although it was created during World War II, this image uses several methods to emphasize women’s femininity. Due to the Industrial Revolution prior to World War II, men turned to mechanized labor, whereas women became associated with domestic work: caring for children, cleaning, and cooking (Women in Literature). One factor that resembles femininity—caring for children—is evident in Odell’s painting. Aside from the appearance of the baby, the fact that the woman is in need of a man influences viewers to believe that women should remain as they are and not participate in nondomestic work. The mother is placid, defenseless, and vulnerable as two hands attempt to grasp her and the young child. No masculine characteristics such as the muscular arms in Rosie the Riveter or the gun in Miliciana de Waswalito are included in this propaganda. This shows that Odell, similarly to many others of the time, did not believe war was a time for women to give up their traditional duties and turn to those of men. Instead, he stresses the femininity of the female gender through their perpetual lifestyle of domestic work and dependence on men.

“Poster Art from World War II” The National Archives. 30 April 2011

<http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/warning/warning.html>.

“Women in the Twentieth Centruy and Beyond” Women in Literature. 30 April 2011

<http://www2.ivcc.edu/gen2002/twentieth_century.htm>.

“The Allies” World War II Info. 08 May 2011

<http://www.worldwar2history.info/war/Allies.htm>.

Introduction

Artists use propaganda to influence viewers’ feelings and beliefs on a specific subject. In this blog, you will discover and learn about the theme—femininity of women expressed through propaganda during times of war. Within this category, women are represented in two different ways: some artists have a feminine approach and value the traditional duties of women in war, whereas other images exhibit women as powerful and capable of taking over a man’s profession. Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell, Miliciana de Waswalito by Orlando Valenzuela, Enlist by Fred Spear, Destroy this Mad Brute—Enlist by H.R. Hopps, and Keep These Hands Off by Gordon K. Odwell all follow the relative norms of society to convey the artists' view on women's femininity.

Link to "Female Roles Through Art"

Camille’s blog “Female Roles Through Art” explores the progression of female roles in society from the washhouse to the work force. The blog fights the typical stereotypes on women and shows the strength and power of the female gender. This blog relates to “Femininity in Propaganda” because femininity is relative to women’s roles.

The first artwork in the her blog, The Washer Women by Abram Efimovich Arkhipov, was painted in 1899 and therefore the women in the image were portrayed as feminine. The women are working in the washhouse, as they are only allowed to do traditional work. This is similar to Enlist by Fred Spear and Keep These Hands Off by Gordon K. Odell, two paintings whose primary focus is traditional work; however, instead of women working in the washhouse, the women are caring for children. Nevertheless, women’s roles of the time shaped the artists idea of how “feminine” a woman should be. The image Rosie the Riveter (1943) by Norman Rockwell was used in both blogs. In “Female Roles Through Art” the artwork is used to show the increase in women’s power; in other words, women are not seen as solely feminine, but are now accepted in a man’s profession. Women’s roles directly affect how feminine women will be viewed by artists and the outside world.

Link to "Women and Children in War"

This blog is very similar to Joy’s blog "Women and Children in War." "Women and Children in War" focuses on the people behind the scenes of war, those who are generally overseen due to their “inability” to fight: women and children. The artworks concentrate on the emotions of women and children, as well as a mother’s obligation to her children when the husband is at war. In "Femininity in War", three pieces also focus on a women’s duty to her children. The two blogs center on this single tradition of women—caring for children.

Enlist by Fred Spear is connected to a work in Joy’s blog—The Mothers by Kathe Kollwitz. In The Mothers, several women huddle together to protect their children from attack. The children remain underneath the protection of their mothers. This is related to the mother in Enlist, who cling to her young baby as they gradually sink to their death. The women only think about the safety of their children. The artists of both works show that despite the current war, the perpetual duty of a mother to her child still exists. The themes of the both blogs highlight the life of a mother, her will to do her work instead of joining the war and its continuous existence in times of war.

"Keep These Hands Off" by Gordon K. Odell

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