A kimono printed with illustrations of the Japanese invasion of Nanking is just one of the items featured at the exhibit "Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain and the United States" at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture.
In the years leading up to and including World War II - long before T-shirts became a medium for messages - wartime propaganda was printed on textiles designed for more formal clothes. The legend "England expects that every man will do his duty," echoing Nelson's famous message at the Battle of Trafalgar, appeared on rayon fabric used for scarves and dresses in the early 1940's, and a Japanese woman's silk kimono of the same period sports Nazi and Japanese flags in a subtle design that acknowledges the Axis alignment.
More, with pictures, here.
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