We’ve by now all seen the government warnings and guidance on how to stay safe during the current COVID-19 pandemic. But this kind of messaging is nothing new, as these posters from past epidemics in our collections show. [Thread]

One of our oldest posters is from 17th century Italy. Like early Coronavirus posters, it suggested who was at risk based on geography. This one stated that plague was suspected as being in the towns of Cortabio, Primaluna, Introibo, Alba, Diano, Ceva, Ginevra and Cluse.

Some posters used grotesque and potent imagery, utilising fear as a means to encourage behavioural change. These not-so-subtle examples dating from 1919 and 1977, respectively, warn against ticks (to prevent the spread of typhus) and importing dogs (to prevent rabies).

These posters from the 1940s were produced in a bid to stem outbreaks of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). One uses the image of a glamorous woman to warn against the dangers of promiscuity, while the other shows a soldier who has been infected with a STI while on furlough.

'Hands, face, space' is the newest snappy slogan from government to help us remember how to behave during the pandemic. While descriptive, it's perhaps not as memorable as the catchy rhyme 'coughs and sneezes spread diseases', a slogan from the 1940s that we still say today.

This US poster from the 1940s adopts satire as a route to influencing behaviour, giving people 'helpful' advice on all the things they *should* do...if they want to catch flu and die before their time.

What are some of your favourite posters that deal with disease? Have you spotted any local posters encouraging us to behave ourselves? Share your favourites with us!