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RMS Lusitania - propaganda medal, leaflet and other items
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RMS Lusitania - propaganda medal, leaflet and other items
RMS Lusitania - Carlton ware model 6.5 inches, together with German propaganda medal, leaflet, and other items. The bronze German Lusitania medal was designed by Karl Goetz. The obverse portrays a sinking Lusitania loaded with munitions with text reading Keine Bann Ware (no banned goods) and Der Grossdampfer Lusitania durch ein Deutsches tauchboot versenkt 5 Mai 1915, (The steamer Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat 5 May 1915). On the other side is a group of travellers buying tickets from the figure of Death manning the window of a British Cunard Line sales office while ignoring the warnings of other travellers about U-boat activity, with the text Geschaft Uber Alles (business above everything). The edge is stamped with Goetz's mark. The sinking of the RMS Lusitania, a civilian Cunard Company Ocean Liner, mostly populated by American passengers, by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland on 5 May 1915 resulted in a sharp decline in Germany's image in the USA. The incident prompted Goetz to cast an unofficial commemorative medal satirising the greed of the Cunard Company for sending a passenger liner to Britain after loading it with war material. Although never intended for wider circulation or endorsed by the German government, the discovery of the medal by the British Foreign Office resulted in a large number of facsimile copies being made by Selfridge's, to distribute with an anti-German flyer for propaganda purposes. This is the first issue of the Goetz German medal. The original German medals are now all extremely rare. Diameter 2.25 inches. Date: 1915
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Media ID 32253684
© Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd. / Mary Evans
Activity Alles Attack Bann Banned Bronze Business Buying Carlton Cast Circulation Civilian Commemorative Copies Cunard Decline Deutsches Diameter Discovery Distribute Durch Edge Endorsed Extremely Facsimile Flyer Foreign Germanys Goetz Goods Greed Ignoring Inches Incident Intended Issue Karl Loaded Loading Lusitania Manning Mark Material Medal Medals Munitions Obverse Office Passengers Populated Portraying Propaganda Purposes Rare Resulted Reverse Sales Satirising Selfridges Sending Sharp Shipwreck Sinking Stamped Submarine Tickets Travellers U Boat Unofficial Ware Warnings Wider Anti German Designed Liner Made Prompted Uber
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This photograph showcases a collection of historical artifacts related to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, a significant event during World War I. At the center of the display is a 6.5-inch Carlton ware model of the ocean liner, a replica of the ill-fated ship that met its end on May 5, 1915, off the south coast of Ireland. Surrounding the model are intriguing items that tell the story of the Lusitania's tragic demise and its impact on the war. Among these items is a rare German propaganda medal commemorating the sinking. Designed by Karl Goetz, the medal's obverse portrays a sinking Lusitania, loaded with munitions, with the text "Keine Bann Ware" (no banned goods) and "Der Grossdampfer Lusitania durch ein Deutsches tauchboot versenkt 5 Mai 1915" (The steamer Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat 5 May 1915). The reverse side depicts a group of passengers buying tickets from a British Cunard Line sales office, ignoring warnings of U-boat activity, with the text "Geschaft Uber Alles" (business above everything). The edge of the medal bears Goetz's mark. The sinking of the RMS Lusitania, a civilian Cunard Company ocean liner carrying mostly American passengers, was a turning point in the USA's perception of Germany. The incident prompted Goetz to create an unofficial commemorative medal satirizing the Cunard Company's decision to send a passenger liner to Britain after loading it with war material. Although never intended for widespread circulation or endorsed by the German government, the discovery of the medal by the British Foreign Office led to the production of numerous facsimile copies, which were distributed with an anti-German flyer for propaganda purposes. This is the first issue of the Goetz German medal, with a diameter of 2.25 inches. The original German medals are now extremely rare.
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