keep calm and carry onby Natalie Bahadur |
I have always found it difficult to find artwork that I want to hang on my walls. Unless a piece really speaks to me, I don’t see the point of hanging it. I think art should really move you in some way; it should elicit a response that’s totally real and completely personal. The last pieces I hung on my wall were photographs that I found at the One of a Kind Show in Toronto of Mediterranean destinations I dream of visiting.
I recently discovered keepcalmandcarryon.com and it reminded me of this poster, pictured above, that I love. Originally printed by the British government in 1939 as a motivational message for the British people in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany, the simple message still resonates today, 70 years later. Despite the fact that two and a half million copies of the poster were printed, none were actually used. The poster was rediscovered in a second-hand bookshop in Northumberland in 2000 and the message has been revived. It’s simple and relevant, no matter what life throws your way.
I love this particular design, with the message on top of a distressed, vintage-style Union Jack. But whatever your tastes, keepcalmandcarryon.com offers the poster in a variety of colours, including a reproduction of the original red background that the poster was designed with. On the website, you’ll find postcards and greeting cards, bags and t-shirts, all sporting the historic slogan. Visit keepcalmandcarryon.com for more information.
Tags: art, britain, decor, decorating, design, home, home decor, interior design, keep calm and carry on, poster, union jack
Hey Natalie,
Canadian readers should check out keepcalmandcarryon.ca for domestic shipping!
Brett
Thanks, Brett! That’s good to know. Though they don’t carry the version pictured here, which I love. But they do offer the poster in a variety of colours. Thanks for the heads up!
I know there are plenty of Americans who check this site as well, so I thought I would chime in with my favorite American seller of Keep Calm and Carry On products.
http://www.keepcalmandcarryonusa.com sells posters, along with products such as cufflinks and scarves that I haven’ seen elsewhere. I love how this phrase is becoming popular and relevent to so many people. Carry On!
Natalie, I love this vintage poster but I am also wild about The Poster List’s “Keep calm and rock on” one which is pretty damn funny and bang-on as well. You can find it at http://www.theposterlist.com/. The dude who makes the posters used to work in Toronto’s magazine industry as an art director before moving to LA to become a surfer….