This Is France, One of the United Nations
A national-profile sheet headed 'this is FRANCE' with the Arc de Triomphe, photographs of the people and the country, an industry and agriculture statistics panel and two essays on France's role in history. The tell for glittering-generalities is the virtue language ('the great monastic orders', 'the democratic ideal'), and for card-stacking the selection of achievements and 'largest producer' statistics without any unfavourable fact.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- French Press and Information Service, an Agency of the Provisional Government of the French Republic; artists F. C. Veit and S. M. Adler
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- France
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Provisional Government of the French Republic
- Leader
- Charles de Gaulle
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Science and technology, Media and information
- Event
- World War II
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision (foreign-government imprint lithographed in the US)
French Press and Information Service; F. C. Veit and S. M. Adler, National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-899f.
Text on the object
this is FRANCE The only European country with a seacoast bordering on the North Sea, the Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, France is at the crossroad of the Western World [...] It was France which, in the present war, was the last Continental bastion of the democracies in Europe and the main western battlefield for the annihilation of Germany. France's unique contributions to civilization are on a par with its unusual historical role. [...] de Lesseps built the Suez Canal and started the Panama Canal and Eiffel developed the skyscraper technique. ARC DE TRIOMPHE the people BEHIND THE SCENES IN A PARIS FASHION HOUSE THE FUTURE OF FRANCE A WOMAN OF BRITTANY ALSATIAN FARMER WINE MAKING IN BURGUNDY WORLD FAMOUS PASTEUR INSTITUTE, PARIS their work POPULATION 42,000,000 [statistics not reproduced] France was the largest peace time producer of bauxite [...] the country IRON AND STEEL PLANT IN LORRAINE FISHERMEN IN THE HARBOR OF CANNES A SMALL TOWN IN FRANCE, L'AIGLE, NORMANDY HARVEST TIME IN THE FRENCH ALPS f. c. veit and s. m. adler Lithographed in the United States of America ONE OF THE UNITED NATIONS Issued by French Press and Information Service An Agency of the Provisional Government of the French Republic
