A poster of pustules: representations of early twentieth century industrial anthrax in Britain

In the decades around 1900, industrial anthrax attracted significant attention from medical practitioners, legislators and the general public in Britain. Attempts to reduce the incidence of the disease ranged from basic health measures – preventing workmen from eating inside factories and trialling the use of respirators – through to national legislation making disinfection of dangerous materials mandatory. Another effort involved the production of industrial warning posters (or cautionary notices) which were designed for use in the factory environment. In the case of anthrax, the context in which these notices appeared adds to our understanding of not only the disease itself, but also the relations between those producing such posters and those who encountered them in an industrial setting.