“War Clouds Gather!” Vintage Navy League Poster by Hazel Roberts, 1916

This propaganda poster was designed by Hazel Roberts (1883-1966) to encourage onlookers to join the U.S. Navy League. The poster was issued in 1916 and features a depiction of a Navy soldier facing the horizon and playing a bugle. The text at bottom reads “War Clouds Gather! Manhood willing but unarmed. Help the Navy-Join the Navy League/ Local Headquarters.” The artist’s signature from the lithograph stone is printed at the bottom right corner of the composition.

This poster advertises that onlookers support the country’s Navy by joining the Navy League. The Navy League is a national association with roughly 50,000 members that supports the U.S. Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine. The organization was founded in 1902 at the suggestion of Theodore Roosevelt and describes itself as “a civilian organization dedicated to the education of our citizens, including our elected officials, and the support of the men and women of the sea services and their families.”

CONDITION:
Overall very good condition. Vibrant coloring intact. Some minor creasing and fold lines, visible along top and margins. Otherwise, no severe wear or tears in paper. Framed according to the highest conservation standards in a custom, archival frame. Framed dimensions: 27″ H x 20 1/2″ W x 1 1/2″ D.