513017

A3 poster promoting blood donation, reading 'BE A BLOOD DONOR, LIKE FREDDIE MILLS'. Red and white paper poster featuring a black-and-white photograph of boxer Freddie Mills donating blood, accompanied by two medical professionals.

Production date

circa 1955

Production organisations

N.B.T.S [NATIONAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE]

Labels

This poster represents the beginning of a trend whereby celebrities endorsed blood donation (others in the Thackray collection feature Noel Edmunds, Jimmy Edwards and Sue Barker). Celebrities are often used to increase the visibility of popular causes and to reinforce the credibility of the process. In this poster, Freddie Mills, a well-known English professional boxer, is demonstrating the speed and ease of the process and comparing it to “three rounds”. This poster reaches out to demographics who might not be interested in blood donation, encouraging them to reconsider when they see a person they admire donating blood. The poster also reinforces the idea of a reward – “a sit down while you have a ‘nice cuppa’” – getting something back from donating blood.

Sarah Chadwick, PhD Researcher