Parliamentary Recruiting Committee's 'Step Into Your Place'

In the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee’s Step Into Your Place, the World War I era propaganda poster evokes a range of changing emotions dependent upon how one views the artwork. First distributed in 1915, the artwork was commissioned by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee(PRC) to convince the youths of Britain to enlist. The PRC was a bipartisan organization created after the outbreak of war, and was headed by British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith. Step Into Your Place was one of two hundred paintings commissioned by the PRC to help the war effort. What makes Step Into Your Place unique amongst World War I propaganda pieces is the numerous responses the painting elicits from its views. At first, the artwork appears to send a message
of unity and power in the long line of soldiers, but as one begins to further analyze the painting, it becomes clear that the soldiers are losing apart of themselves as they walk on the pathway towards war. At first glance, Step Into Your Place depicts a line young men transitioning from civilian life to life on the front lines.
At the forefront of the painting, the individuals stand in contrast to one another. A miner with a worn shirt and a pick axe over his shoulder stands next to a slick haired man in a suit. In front of these men is a judge in full attire, including a black robe and traditional white wig, who is standing next to a day laborer. Two gentlemen can be seen wearing top hats, with suits to match. A farmer is depicted with a pitch fork on his shoulder. The same farmer stands in line with a golfer, similarly hoisting his clubs over his shoulder while also donning a traditional scottish bonnet. The coloring of the figures in the painting is at first as diverse as the individuals with shades of green, red, white, black, tan, yellow, mustard, and blue. Likewise, the clothing of the individuals is just as unique with each symbolizing a socioeconomic status. Furthermore, the faces of the men are slightly turned away from the viewer, yet the viewer can still differentiate between each person. But as the line of soldiers progresses, the different classes of society slowly morph into one line of British soldiers. Their diverse colors are replaced by a sea of tan. Golf clubs, pitchforks, and pickaxes are exchanged for a bayonet rifle. The variety of top hats are converted into a tan colored peaked cap. Finally, the individuals fully turn their faces away from the view of
the audience and march off towards the endless line of men who precede them. Within the artwork, an emotion of a loss of individuality is evoked. The men of Britain have lost their ability to express themselves in terms of what they wear and with their own faces. Instead, the men are forced into unison as they join the ranks of the military. The long, never ending line of soldiers, which becomes smaller in size, elicits both a feeling of an endless war and lessening of the importance an individual has within the war. While the men are so uniquely defined at the forefront, their complete lack of individuality as they assimilate into the military creates a feeling of anxiousness as if men who enlist are no longer important and are lost in a sea of tan. All the while, the meager outlook depicted amongst the recruits is juxtaposed with the bold, blue, block lettering at the top of the painting stating: “STEP INTO YOUR PLACE.” The artist’s use of “step” allows a potential recruit to feel as if they can ease into military life in a seamless transition. The word “step” does not describe the reality war that can feel more like a sprint than a leisurely stroll. The use of “into” seems to describe as if a potential recruit has a choice even though the purpose of the artwork is to peer pressure young men into enlisting. The use of “your” acts if a man has a choice and the individual freedom to choose to go to war when in fact the soldiers depicted below the phrase display a very different state of mind where all members of society must join and individual freedom is lacking. Finally, the artist uses “place” to allow for a recruit to feel more comfortable with their decision to enlist as every soldier can hold a unique position in war. This phrasing runs contrary to the scene depicted below as there is no room for individuality in war and one must force themselves to be complacent as a dot amongst the masses.
When judging the artists intentions for the work, it is important to provide historical context. In 1915, the Parliament in England was considering a draft as voluntary conscription rates had fallen well below the number of troops the war had necessitated (Parliament.UK). Under the pressure to increase conscription rates, the artist sets out to create an impressionable piece upon the youths of Britain. The artist wanted to create a piece which would have mass appeal across social classes. The artist’s need to appeal to a variety of classes led to the incorporation of individuals from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. The artist wants to convey the message that while society can be subjugated along class lines, in times of war England can come together as one cohesive whole and form a united front. The artist attempts to appeal to the senses of duty, honor, and being apart of something bigger than oneself. The idea being apart of the whole targets the vulnerable emotions of young men. The artist intends to target those in want of the glory of being on the battlefield with one’s fellow brothers as seen in the artpiece with the long line of troops. The painting is not forceful as the army was volunteer at the time, yet the diverse individuals and long line of troops ready for war peer pressures young men and leaves the viewer with one choice: enlistment. What drew me to this artwork was a recent discussion we had in class about the poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est.” The second to last line of the poem states that “children ardent for some desperate glory” are present throughout our society (Ward 21).
Like the young men in England, many Americans, including myself, are impressionable and feel some kind of duty to defend one’s country. The society in which we have been raised has pushed us to strive for and ultimately be willing to die for glory, honor, and a sense committing ourselves for the greater good of society. Since WWI, military propaganda has transitioned away from posters and into a different form of artwork. We are surrounded by recruitment ads by all five service branches in all forms of media we consume. So much of our society pushes forth the heroic duty of being valiant and courageous when serving without showing the realities of war. The lack of a complete picture of what those serving in the military may endure leads young men to be cheated out of their prime. As commented on in “Dulce Et Decorum Est,” American children can be taken advantage of in their recruitment to the military. The military can rob young men of their individualism, yet is it still promoted across society to this day. The poem makes the argument that we all in some way may be complicit in the stolen years of young men’s lives throughout our nation. Yet, the notion that “it is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country” will remain the law of
the land for the foreseeable future unless American society as a whole changes its attitude towards the recruitment of soldiers(Ward 21).