The Visual Culture of East German Picturebooks 1945–1990: Architecture, Traffic, and Design of Childhood

This is the first study to explore picturebooks of the Soviet Occupation Zone and the German Democratic Republic, analyzing them in the context of contemporary history, social and cultural developments and through a precise analysis of selected images and their context. By focusing on areas such as architecture and housing, consumer culture, traffic and transportation, including the iconic role of the Trabant, and the design of childhood, as seen in pioneer uniforms and institutions, the study identifies the unique blend of information about reality and socialist ideology typical of children's visual culture during this period. This specific combination was aimed at shaping children to become socialist personalities. The study thus demonstrates that pictorial representation and its textual integration are crucial for understanding childhood in the immediate post-war period and the German Democratic Republic.