In the decades after the Second World War, the wheels spun faster and faster in Sweden. Wages rose, consumption and living standards increased, and welfare and consumer societies developed in interaction.

But how were the citizens and consumers of this society addressed in newspaper and magazine ads, on posters in public spaces, in advertising and information films, and in the educational program offerings of the new television? How did private companies and government agencies launch new products and social ideals with the help of photographs and moving images? What practices and ideas connected to influence, propaganda, and social enlightenment lived on from the war years, and how did public information work relate to commercial advertising?

Through presentations by researchers and practitioners from various fields and case studies from both private and public actors, this one-day symposium analyzes various intertwined forms of advertising, propaganda, and public information in postwar Sweden, with a focus on lens-based media such as photography, film, and television.

See the full program on University of Gothenburg’s website.

Time: April 28, 11:00-18:30

Location: C314, Humanisten, Renströmsgatan 6

Organized by: National Archives, GPS400: Center for Collaborative Visual Research, HDK-Valand, Hasselblad Foundation

Registration: Registration via Gothenburg University