Shortage Collection

David Lloyd George visiting Newport during WW1
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (1863-1945), British Liberal Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922. Seen here as Minister of Munitions, visiting Newport, Wales

Apres la Guerre No. 3 - WWI postcard by George Ranstead
Humorous postcard drawn by amateur soldier artist of the Great War, George Ranstead, who, in a series of illustrations suggesting what life might be like at the end of the war

Blouse made from a silk escape map, 1940s. Creator: Unknown
Blouse made from a silk escape map, 1940s. During World War II many materials were unavailable to the public because of government rationing

Gas storage tanks. Supporting structures of three gas storage tanks and two electricity pylons and power lines silhouetted against a setting sun

Advert for the Ministry of Food 1940
The weeks food facts No. 6. If you eat more than you need, you are wasting food as surely as if you had thrown it away. So eat what you need, but no more. Buy wisely and cater strictly

Wartime cuisine - fish and chips
Wartime rashioning during the Second World War. A plate of steak and veg is a dream, but at least there is still fish and chips to keep the spirits up and the bellies full! Date: circa early 1940s

OIL CRISIS, 1979. Cars lined up for gas at a service station in Maryland at the time of the oil crisis, 15 June 1979. Photographed by Warren K. Leffler

The Nimrod Antarctic Expedition at the furthest point South
Photograph showing Lt. Adams, Frank Wild and Lt. Ernest Shackleton (left to right) standing beside a British flag at the furthest point South that they reached, 9th January 1909

Fuel winter crisis: Heating pumped from the earth and water
Diagram illustrating how heat in the earth and water can provide heating for homes and factories. City Electrical Engineer of Norwich

Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871
542981 Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871.; (add.info.: National Guardsman does not fancy the delicacy the street vendor is offering - dog offal)

Austrian Notgeld 50 Austrian Schillings
5306701 Austrian Notgeld 50 Austrian Schillings; (add.info.: Austrian Notgeld 50 Austrian Schillings. In the 1920's both Germany)

Not Enough to Go Round (litho)
8663496 Not Enough to Go Round (litho) by Poy (Percy Hutton Fearon) (1874-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: Not Enough to Go Round. A cartoon on the numerical inferiority of our male population)

Cartoon commenting on the water companies' fears of a shortage during the hot summer, 19th century
5308748 Cartoon commenting on the water companies' fears of a shortage during the hot summer, 19th century; (add.info)

Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871
542978 Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871.; (add.info.: Chef trying to reassure woman that he was not suggesting cooking her pet)

Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871
542969 Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871.; (add.info.: Hungry French National Guardsman thinks of a good use of the Fat Lady's calf - a good stew)

Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871
542961 Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: Siege of Paris 19 Sept 1870-28 Jan 1871.; (add.info.: The Rabbit Market: Customer querying the price of 40 francs for a rabbit)

Sea Adventure: Hanno the Carthaginian (colour litho)
8668729 Sea Adventure: Hanno the Carthaginian (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hanno the Carthaginian)

Siege of Londonderry, Ireland. The Protestant population was under siege by forces of James II for 105 days
527979 Siege of Londonderry, Ireland. The Protestant population was under siege by forces of James II for 105 days and suffered disease

German women after second grade meat, 1914. Creator: Bain News Service
German women after second grade meat, 1914. German women in line for meat during the beginning of World War I.

Christmas-Day in the Crimea - Dinner of Captain Brown's Company, 57th Regiment - sketched by J. A. Crowe, 1856....the mess-tables of the regiments more resembled those of England than

Usant jusqu'a son dernier homme et son dernier mousquet, 19th century. Creator: Honore Daumier
Usant jusqu'a son dernier homme et son dernier mousquet, 19th century. Amputee and soldier with gun: Down to his last man and his last musket

Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920
Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. USA. Farmer ploughing with a Case tractor

Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920
Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. Fresh and preserved vegetables, USA. Sign reads: Be a Soldier of the Soil; Produce Food - Conserve Food - Dry and Can Food

National Emergency Food Garden, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing
National Emergency Food Garden, between 1910 and 1920. USA

National Emergency Food Garden, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing
National Emergency Food Garden, between 1910 and 1920. USA. Vegetable garden

Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920
Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. USA. Cabbages in vegetable garden

Esquisse pour l'Hôtel de Ville de Paris. Queues à la porte d'une boucherie municipale... 1889
Esquisse pour l'Hotel de Ville de Paris. Queues a la porte d'une boucherie municipale. Le siege de Paris en 1870, 1889. Sketch for the town hall (prefect's office), Hotel de Ville, Paris

Queue in the butcher's shop in 1871, c1871. Creator: Clement-Auguste Andrieux
Queue in the butcher's shop in 1871, c1871

Price's Patent Candle Company - the Bromborough Pool Candle-Works - interior view... 1854. Creator: Unknown
The Bromborough Pool Candle-Works - interior view under three spans of roof - from a photograph, 1854. Candle factory on Merseyside

Her Majesty's Visit to Hull - the Procession in the Market-Place, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Her Majesty's Visit to Hull - the Procession in the Market-Place, 1854. Queen Victoria visits Yorkshire. The inhabitants testified their loyal devotion by an illumination so general, that

The Grocer's Shop at Christmas - drawn by Foster, 1850. Creator: Edmund Evans
The Grocer's Shop at Christmas - drawn by Foster, 1850. Shoppers queuing to buy dried fruit to make plum puddings. Illustration to a story by John Oxenford

McDonnell Douglas F-4J UK Phantom ZE353
Royal Air Force - McDonnell Douglas F-4J(UK) Phantom ZE353, of No.74 Squadron, at RAF Wattisham, Suffolk. (a.k.a. Phantom F.3)

Drought at Dorking, Surrey. December 1934

WWII - the man who eats grass, Mr J. R. B. Branson
Mr J. R. B. Branson, who advocated a diet of grass to counter food shortages during the Second World War. The Bystander magazine ran a double page spread on him

A dried-out part of Lake Koronia, Greece, September 19, 2019. Picture taken September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

A water level indicator stands next to a near-empty creek near the town of Uralla in rural Australia September 24, 2019. Picture taken September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Barrett

A boat ramp leads to the drought-affected Split Rock Dam near Tamworth in rural Australia September 23, 2019. Picture taken September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Barrett

WW2 Birthday Card, Rationed Clothes
An illustrated WW2 birthday greetings card, clothes may be rationed - but let me tell you, there's no shortage of birthday wishes

Cartoon, Scenes during shortage of fats, Boy Scouts do good service gathering buttercups in Richmond Park Date: 1919

Hungarian public information card - grow oil seed for soap
Hungarian patriotic public information postcard - There will be no shortage of soap if we produce oilseeds: rapeseed, castor oil, sunflower oil. Date: circa late 1950s

How Housing Shortage is Being Met 1920
At the end of First World War One almost 80% of Britains rented homes from private landlords. David Lloyd George was concerned by the standards of the housing

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Los combatientes necesitan prendas de abrigo (Fighters need warm clothes). Poster ob the International Red Help. SPAIN. Salamanca. Archivo Historico Nacional

1979 fuel shortage
A Texaco petrol station runs out of petrol during a national petrol shortage brought about by a price rise by OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

Lord Beaverbrook's appeal for aluminium 1940
Lord Beaverbrook the Minister for Aircraft Production appealed for objects wholly or partly made of aluminium for the manufacture of aeroplanes

Lord Beaverbrook the Minister for Aircraft Production appealed for objects wholly or partly made of aluminium for the manufacture of aeroplanes

Rational Gadgets For Your Coupons by William Heath Robinson
Customers are put on scales to determine how much butter they are entitled to, the heavier the person is, the more butter they are given. Date: 1940

German family united in their disgust at the taste of Kriegskartoffelbrot (bread made from potatoes), World War I
6000284 German family united in their disgust at the taste of Kriegskartoffelbrot (bread made from potatoes), World War I, 1915 (colour litho) by Damblans

Album of the Siege of Paris, Municipal canteen Boulevard St. Michel (pen & brown ink wash & pencil on paper)
XIR414924 Album of the Siege of Paris, Municipal canteen Boulevard St. Michel (pen & brown ink wash & pencil on paper) 88; cantine municipale Boulevard Saint-Michel; Saint; St; b/w photo; black

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During times of shortage, the world has witnessed both struggles and innovative solutions. In 1914, as World War I raged on, David Lloyd George's visit to Newport highlighted the impact of scarcity on local communities. The postcard "Apres la Guerre No. 3" by George Ranstead depicted a somber aftermath where shortages were evident in every corner. As wars demanded resources, gas storage tanks became crucial targets for both sides. The Ministry of Food's advert from 1940 emphasized the importance of rationing during wartime, urging citizens to make do with limited supplies. Fish and chips emerged as a popular meal during this era when food options were scarce but still managed to bring comfort amidst chaos. The oil crisis in 1979 caused long queues at service stations in Maryland captured by Warren K. Leffler's photograph. As people anxiously waited for fuel, it was clear that energy shortages affected daily life profoundly. Similarly, the Nimrod Antarctic Expedition faced immense challenges due to scarcity while venturing towards the furthest point South. In times of winter crisis, alternative methods like extracting heating from earth and water offered respite from traditional fuel sources that were running low or inaccessible. During World War II, rationed clothes became a norm as resources were redirected towards military efforts instead of fashion production. Cartoons depicting scenes during fat shortages showcased how humor helped alleviate some tension surrounding scarcities experienced by different societies throughout history. A Hungarian public information card encouraged citizens to grow oil seeds for soap production amid supply constraints. Lastly, examining how housing shortage was met in 1920 sheds light on society's resilience even during challenging times; creative solutions arose out of necessity when resources were limited. Throughout history, various forms of scarcity have tested humanity's ability to adapt and find alternatives amidst adversity.