Camouflage

Caught the Camouflage exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in its last week (it closes Sunday 18th). Very interesting, had to read all the labels. Above is a 1936 poster for the museum, incorporating a 1918 print by Edward Wadsworth, who was involved in designing dazzle patterns for ships. You can't hide a ship on the ocean, but the patterns make it difficult to judge its speed and direction. And what a lot of different dazzle patterns there were --
Students from the Royal College of Art were involved in devising the patterns and scaling them up to be painted onto ships.In the second world war, fake tanks were made flat, to be seen from the air - complete with their shadow.

Since then, camouflage patterns first were counterculture icons and street fashion and now have infiltrated into high fashion. Here's a chilling juxtaposition:In the shop, evening bags in camouflage fabric with velvet ribbons and echoes of those badge-wearing 1960s: