Collection EMBLETON - EMBLETON, Edwin Joseph (1907-2000)

Key Information

Reference code

EMBLETON

Title

EMBLETON, Edwin Joseph (1907-2000)

Date(s)

  • 1939-1949 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent

14 boxes or 0.14 metres cubed

Scope and content

Papers of Edwin Embleton, 1939-1949, chiefly comprising World War Two propaganda pamphlets, 1939-1945, on subjects including the Allied war effort, the Home Front, British Allies, anti-Nazism and the Empire, largely produced by the Ministry of Information for dissemination both within Britain and overseas. These pamphlets are in a number of European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian languages. An approximate translation has been provided for all foreign language titles. The remainder of the collection comprises Ministry of Information produced propaganda posters, postcards, cigarette cards, scrapbook stamps; portraits of Islamic leaders; maps from the Ministry of Information 'Map series' for use by newspapers; American propaganda pamphlets and Ministry of Information administrative papers. Administrative papers include progress reports, memoranda and plans relating to strategy, visual presentation, print deadlines and staff.

System of arrangement

Arranged in sections as follows: pamphlets; material with no or very little text (such as postcards and cigarette cards) and administrative papers. Pamphlets have been arranged by language except for the first section consisting of multi lingual series, where the items have been arranged by series, regardless of language. Pamphlets that do not form part of a series have been arranged by language, editions that appear in several different languages are cross referenced. Languages with a large quantity of material (English and French) have been further subdivided into subject categories. Within the sections pamphlets are ordered chronologically.

General Information

Name of creator

Embleton, Edwin Joseph, 1907-2000, studio manager, Ministry of Information
(1907-2000)

Biographical history

Born 1907; joined Odhams Press where he started as a layout and lettering artist and graduated to Studio Manager,1924-1939; Art Director and Studio Manager of General Production Division, Ministry of Information, 1939-1945; returned to Odhams Press, 1945; died, 2000.

Repository

Custodial history

Three boxes of material were acquired by the Centre from Edwin Embleton in 1996. Following his death, a second deposit of material was acquired from his daughter in 2002

Conditions governing access

Open, subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of two forms of identification, to include one photographic ID.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied from open material for research purposes only.

Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, via the Archives.

Language of material

  • Afrikaans
  • Arabic
  • Bengali
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English
  • French
  • Greek
  • Hausa
  • Italian
  • Luxembourgish
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Swahili
  • Swedish
  • Yoruba

Script of material

Finding aids

This collection level description and detailed catalogue.

  

Related materials

National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Items from Embleton's collection of Ministry of Information printed material; Imperial War Museum (IWM): Three scrapbooks of press clippings related to the Ministry of Information, which Embleton kept throughout the war; oral history interview with Embleton, 26 Nov 1995: 16340; Design Archives, University of Brighton: Ministry of Information printed propaganda from 1939-1945, including over 80 magazines, pamphlets and other ephemera, mainly in English, but also in other languages including French, Spanish, Dutch and Arabic; The National Archives: Ministry of Information Original Art Work (ref: INF 3); Correspondence (1 file) relating to commissioning a portrait of the Prime Minister; includes references to Sir Kenneth Clark, Eric Kennington, William Nicholson, Dugdale A R Thompson and Augustus John (who achieved the commission), Aug 1942-Apr 1943, (ref: INF 1/640). Correspondence (1 file) with the agents War Artists and Illustrators (mostly with W C Warner), relating to contracts with artists for illustrative propaganda material; artists include A S Nour, Frank Norton, Harold Pym; also one letter from Graham Greene, 1939-1941, (ref: INF 1/638).

Related descriptions

Note

Jul 1998, updated 2002; updated 2008.

Alternative identifier(s)

Subjects

Place access points

People and Organisations

Genre access points

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000.

Script(s)

Archivist's note

Entry compiled by Sarah Drewery.

Accession area