Published in November 1951, Jo-Jo la Colombe is an original French political poster issued by the anti-communist organization Paix et Liberté. Through a deliberately exaggerated caricature of Joseph Stalin, the anonymous design attacks the Soviet Union’s presentation of itself as a defender of international peace during the early Cold War.
Stalin appears as an enormous military figure dressed in a decorated uniform and a striped shirt bearing the red star. In one hand, he displays a large placard proclaiming “Paix,” while the other holds a concealed medieval-style spiked mace. The contrast between the reassuring message and the visible weapon exposes what Paix et Liberté presented as the contradiction between Soviet pacifist rhetoric and its political and military ambitions.
A small white dove is attached to Stalin by a cord, reducing the traditional emblem of freedom and peace to a controlled propaganda accessory. The image alludes to Pablo Picasso’s celebrated Dove of Peace, which had been adopted by the Communist-supported peace movement following the 1949 World Congress of Partisans for Peace. The mocking title “Jo-Jo la Colombe” transforms Stalin’s first name, Joseph, into an ironic nickname.
Paix et Liberté was founded in France in 1950 by politician Jean-Paul David to oppose the influence and visual propaganda of the French Communist Party. Its posters frequently borrowed Communist slogans and symbols before turning them against the Soviet Union and its French supporters. Here, the limited palette of blue, grey, black, white and vivid red gives the composition exceptional graphic clarity and immediate impact.
Printed in colour lithography by the Imprimerie Spéciale de Paix et Liberté, this original poster is a powerful document of French Cold War visual culture. Its memorable caricature, striking political symbolism and connection with the ideological battle surrounding the international peace movement make it particularly appealing to collectors of propaganda, Soviet history, political graphics and twentieth-century poster design.
Original Poster
Political - Communism - USSR
Peace and freedom - Paris
Good condition, one fold, small tears
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