What We Are Fighting For – Picture Post, 1940

When this issue of Picture Post was printed in July 1940, WWII was well on its way, and not going well for Britain and her Allies. In late May, Belgium surrendered and Dunkirk was evaculated; one month later, France herself surrendered. The Battle of Britain had commenced and it seemed like the Nazi invasion of Britain itself was imminent.

Fall of Mussolini – Picture Post, 1943

No publication was happier about Il Duce’s fall from power than Picture Post. Its August 14, 1943 issue recapped the rule of Mussolini and labelled the titular “condemned man” as a gangster, agitator, revolutionary, and dictator.

Inchon Landings by Bert Hardy, 1951

Picture Post sent Bert Hardy to photograph the Korean War. His photos resulted in the editor losing his job for negatively portraying an ally.

When the Queen went to the Opera, 1957

When Queen Elizabeth paid France her first state visit in 1957, the manifestly  Republican country welcomed her lavishly. Ceremonial parades lined up; the Royal Standard flew from the Elysees Palace. The choir of Notre Dame sang to her from the banks of the Seine as she sailed down it.