Poster, Neues Volke 1938 (New People), for the calendar of the Racial Policy Office of the Nazi Party, 1938 Design attributed to Ludwig Hohlwein (German, 1874-1949) Commercial color lithograph 16 x 12" XX1990.2734 The concept of a pure Germanic race was the basis of Nazi culture and permeated every aspect of German life. Here, an advertisement for a calendar promotes the Neues Volk, or New People, published by the Racial Policy Office of the Nazi party. Designer Ludwig Hohlwein portrays a "model" Aryan family that illustrates this group’s principal characteristics: blond hair, fair complexion, chiseled features. The figures’ hierarchy reflects each person’s role within the family and in Nazi society. The male is in the dominant position, standing protectively over the group. The female figure carries a child identifying her as a mother. Indeed, the roles of women of pure Aryan blood were strictly defined as tied to the home and family. Aryan women were to be mothers and primarily responsible for increasing the German population, an activity the Nazis saw as "appropriate to their nature". The state used numerous measures to encourage large Aryan families, including closing birth control centers, providing tax credits for children, and outlawing abortion. Back to Political Propaganda Main Back to Collections Main