Depression & Anxiety Lead to Injury, Czech Propaganda

A visceral masterwork of early 1970s Czechoslovak workplace safety design, this poster by Zdeňka Svobodová transforms industrial propaganda into genuinely unsettling psychological art. The photomontage technique fragments a human face into radiating torn segments against a vivid red-orange ground, with the Czech words for depression (deprese), anxiety (úzkost), and fatigue (únava) leading inexorably to the explosive warning: Úraz! (Injury!). Published by PRÁCE, the official publishing house of the Revolutionary Trade Union Movement in Prague, this piece represents the sophisticated graphic design tradition that flourished in Czechoslovakia even under normalization-era constraints. The composition's power lies in its psychological acuity, acknowledging that workplace accidents stem not merely from physical hazards but from the mental states of exhausted, anxious workers. A standout piece for collectors of Eastern European graphic design, socialist-era ephemera, or the broader history of workplace safety communication. The poster's unflinching visual approach bridges propaganda and fine art, capturing a moment when industrial messaging achieved genuine aesthetic impact. Size: 22.75" x 16.0" Condition: Very Good, Age-appropriate wear, fading and toning. Oriignal center fold present. Areas of light creasing in borders. Light corner wear. Light background scuffs. Minute abrasion in lower left border. Faint horizontal creases near lower left corner. Please use the photo zoom feature to get a better understanding of overall condition. *Additional photos available upon request.