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Chapter 4 - Becoming ‘British Furniture’

Adapting to Life in England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

Christopher Burke  and
Adam Tamas Tuboly
Christopher Burke
Affiliation:
University of Reading
Adam Tamas Tuboly
Affiliation:
HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities
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Summary

Chapter 4 is a detailed description of Neurath’s adaptation to British life and professional re-establishment, mainly in the field of visual education. The Isotype Institute was established in Oxford, and this method was rapidly taken up by documentarist Paul Rotha for use in films for the Ministry of Information. The Neuraths also collaborated in producing books of ‘soft propaganda’ about Britain and its allies, and made a pioneering visualization of the Beveridge Plan of social insurance. Neurath attempted to reconstruct a scholarly environment for himself, and was keen to embrace the English language. He was much in demand as a lecturer and consultant, speaking ‘broken English fluently’. He was supportive of fellow émigrés but wary of Austrian exile politics. Inadvertently, he came into contact with some people later revealed to have been Soviet spies.

Keywords

G. D. H. ColeFabian Societyemigrationexile politicspublishersspiesSoviet UnioncommunismmuddleIsotype Institute
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Chapter
Information
Otto Neurath in Britain , pp. 97 - 128
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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