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Prepared from the source scan: surroundings removed and the sheet levelled where required. The source record remains available below.
The Posters That Went to War · The Home Front
Dish It Out with the Navy: Choose Now While You Can
McClelland Barclay (1891-1943) · U.S. Navy recruiting, 1941–1945
Format
Archival pigment giclée on museum-grade matte art paper, color-managed to the source scan — the flat inks and stone grain intact. The 40×60 is the room-changer.
Size
$39.00
What it is
A Navy recruiting poster McClelland Barclay made in the Second World War, dated between 1941 and 1945, held by the National Archives as 44-PA-5 in its World War II Posters series.
Why it matters
Barclay was published in the Saturday Evening Post by the age of 21, went on active duty with the Navy after Pearl Harbor, and was a Lieutenant Commander when he died in 1943. The poster was drawn by an officer of the service it recruits for.
What to notice
Choose now while you can: the second line hints at the draft, offering the Navy to the man who enlists before the choice is made for him.
A choice, offered before the draft could make it.
Provenance
- School
- The Second World War Poster (United States and the world)
- Designer
- McClelland Barclay (1891-1943)
- Campaign
- Enlist
- Service
- Navy
- Format
- Political poster
- Poster published
- U.S. Navy recruiting, 1941–1945
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, World War II Posters series (NAID 513501, local id 44-PA-5), NARA scan via DPLA and Wikimedia Commons · NARA NAID 513501 · 44-PA-5
Rights: CLEAR. Public domain — U.S. government work (the WPA Federal Art Project, the wartime agencies), any year. Gated by the poster’s own publication year. Cleared by registry on 2026-11-02. National Archives catalogue re-read 2026-11-02 (NAID 513501, 44-PA-5): use restriction Unrestricted, access Unrestricted.
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