I was drawn to this sandwich board sign outside of a store in Bath, England because of the juxtaposition of some quintessentially British iconic images against an unmistakable German one.

The ‘centerpiece’ of the board, the thing that really captured me was the slogan, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” It was created in 1939 during World War II and was part of a three-poster set intended to boost the morale of the British people in the event of a wartime disaster. The other two reminded that “Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might” and “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory.” The latter was the first to go up and became the most popular.

The Keep Calm poster was discovered in 2000 in a second-hand bookstore. It has since been reissued and used on a variety of products.

The VW Beetle was created in Germany in 1938. Following the war, the VW factory was handed over by the Americans to the British in 1945 to be dismantled and shipped to Britain. However, British car manufacturers weren’t interested, citing the car’s unattractiveness and the fact that, in their opinions, didn’t “meet the fundamental technical requirements of a motor car.” The factory survived, however, after the British Army was persuaded to order cars 20,000 cars. The VW was introduced in the UK in 1953.

The other images I recognize: the Royal Horse Guard and the old photo of Bath. I feel like I should know the other image – I just can’t recall what it is or where I’ve seen it before. Do you recognize it? Can you shed some light? Would love to hear from you.

Bath is located in Somerset county, southwest England, about 100 miles from London. It is the home of the Roman Baths, the Bath Abbey, the Circus houses designed by architect John Wood.

This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!