Monuments vs King Kong

While I was studying for my Preservation of Monuments exam I was looking at some World War I propaganda posters. The destruction of Ypres and my university library resonated across the world back then and sparked a wave of disgust at how the invading German troop were destroying Belgian identity through monuments.
The rape of Belgium, as it was called by the British, was used in different media.
I found a US recruitment poster where in the background you can see the silhouet of the destroyed Ypres cloth hall. The gorilla is holding a log saying 'Kultur'.

What struck me was the King Kong-ish appearance the poster had. And this an odd 15 years before RKO's King Kong first hit movie screens back in 1933!
So this a very interesting reference to a poster which would have been found all over the US and a generation would have identified how awesomely horrid this King Kong must be. So a very clever use of images which can spark a sign of recognition.

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