Imperial War Museum

This poster advertising the Imperial War Museum was published by London Transport in 1936. It was designed by Edward Wadsworth, who based the image on a series of woodcuts he produced in 1919. During the First World War, battleships were painted with 'dazzle' camouflage. It was impossible to use conventional camouflage on the vast ships, partly because the colour of the sea and sky was so changeable. Instead, the ships were painted with huge zigzag bands in contrasting colours. This broke up the ship's appearance, making it difficult for enemy submarines to determine its course, size or speed. Edward Wadsworth was an official 'dazzle' camouflage artist. His poster depicts a freshly-painted vessel in dry dock.