Pause when you go out into the dark to let your eyes get used to the Black-out
Two stylised eyes on a black field show a small pupil 'in the light' and a large pupil 'in the dark', above the instruction to pause before walking out into the blackout. The physiological diagram lends scientific authority to a simple request (transfer); the stated reason is factual.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Ministry of War Transport, printed for HM Stationery Office by Wm. Brown & Co. Ltd
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Home front, Health
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- 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
- Public domain (UK Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired before 1996; no URAA restoration)
UK Government (Crown copyright expired). Poster held by the US National Archives, NAID 44266883, local identifier 44-PF-333.
Text on the object
IN THE LIGHT the pupil of the eye is small so that unnecessary light is excluded from the eye IN THE DARK the pupil gradually grows larger to enable you to see better Pause when you go out into the dark to let your eyes get used to the Black-out ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF WAR TRANSPORT Printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Wm. Brown & Co., Ltd., London, E.C.3.-51-4576
