The way in which public discourse was motivated was mainly through ephemera such as political posters. The would often be cheap and quickly produced posters which would be posted on the sides of walls for citizens to come and observe.

As 1848 was a contentious time politically it is unsurprising many different factions, government offices, and individuals made use of posters to attract followers or communicate orders. Hence an important method for propaganda at this time were posters.

Due to the cheap nature of the posters mixed with the posting process, it would be impossible to tear down the fragile posters without destroying them completely. Luckily due to individual efforts, luck, and possibly some foresight, many unhung posters have survived up until today.

The William Ready Archives here at McMaster boasts one of the largest collections of 1848 French Revolutionary posters. Thanks to this collection, some invaluable insight can be shed on the ways in which propaganda was spread during the Revolution. The ephemeral has become the eternal. This online exhibit will explore some of posters from this collection to give a glimpse on how they were used for government communication, campaigning, and the dissemination of political ideas.

Articles in this Exhibit