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This is an original 1991 print of a World War II-era poster depicting two uniformed Naval Cadets on an aircraft carrier. One wears the flight suit and is climbing into a fighter plane. The other wears Service Dress Blue and carries a pair of binoculars. In the sky above them, a formation of planes soar overhead. The text reads, “Cadets for Naval Aviation take that something extra.... have you got it? Apply nearest U.S. Navy Recruiting Station.”
The original Navy Recruiting poster was created in 1941 by McClelland Barclay, whose signature appears in the lower-right portion of the image. McClelland was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve in 1938 and entered active duty after Pearl Harbor. He was a Lieutenant Commander at time of death, when he died at sea in July 1943 near the Soloman Islands. This illustration was published in a well-printed 1991 collection of popular WWII posters, collated and presented by Derek Nelson, acting as civilian editor for Naval Safety Center publications.
In Nelson's words
"The Navy, which had enlisted only 100 pilots per month in May 1940, was signing up 800 per month in July 1941; by January 1942, it was signing up 2,500 per month. At that rate, it was adding 30,000 pilots within a year. All branches of the military continued to issue recruiting posters throughout the war. The Marines, in particular, capitalized on well-known victories during the later years. McClelland Barclay did this inspiring poster for the Navy. Is it any wonder young men heeded this wild-blue-yonder call?"
Printed on medium-weight glossy paper, the overall sheet size is approximately 8.25" x 11", and the printed poster (shown in the scan below) is 6 1/8" x 9", with 1" margins all the way around to allow easy matting and framing. There is text and another image on the reverse of the print.
The print is a fine example of 20th century chromolithography, with distinctive saturated solids. It appears to be an offset halftone process, based on the orientation of the matrix and rosette appearance under magnification. It is a very attractive work, and well-printed.
These mini poster prints look very nice matted and framed, together or separately. Please check my store for other maps, posters, and natural history or historical art prints perfect for framing or incorporating into other projects.
Below is a cropped view of the sheet--without full margins, and without the page number (108), which is printed below the poster. The scan below is a fairly accurate representation of the print.
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