Saving life at sea exhibition

During the Second World War, the British Ministry of Information created or commissioned exhibitions to boost morale, and spread knowledge about war-related subjects, such as the role of other Allied nations, life saving at sea, and equipment used by different branches of the armed forces. This poster was designed for the 'Saving Life at Sea' exhibition, first held in 1942. One known touring location for this show was Streatham Hill in south London.

The poster itself contains an image by Edward Osmond in the top two thirds, containing five men, wearing personal floatation devices, in a makeshift boat on a rough sea with an orange sheet as a sail. In the background of the image, plumes of smoke emerge from the sea - possibly emerging from the craft that they have just escaped from. The lower third of the poster incorporates the title of the exhibition in white, with a blank, white space for details of the specific places and dates for each of the exhibition's iterations.