1941 Take The Wheel Steer A Course For Future Success US Navy Matt Murphey
Date: 1941
Artist: Murphy, Matt
Size (in): 42” x 28.125”
Size (cm): 106.7 x 71.4
Condition: A-
Linen backed: No
This vintage original poster was created by US Navy artist Matt Murphey and issued in 1941 to help promote recruiting for the United States Navy. Murphey renders an image of a US Navy destroyer escorting an aircraft carrier with text that reads:
Take The Wheel…steer a course for future success while serving your country in the United States Navy or the U.S. Naval Reserve
The lower margin indicates an 11-17-1941 production date, less than three weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent American entry into WWII. The ship shown on the poster has a 440 hull number which makes it the USS Ericsson, a Gleaves-class destroyer commissioned for service with the US Navy in March 1941. The USS Ericsson earned three battle stars during WWII while serving as a convey escort and in the Operation Torch and Operation Dragoon amphibious invasions of North Africa and Southern France. Murphey’s signature appears in print in the image.
There is some creasing in the margin on the left edge near the upper corner. The posters light handling wear including edges slightly bumped and small slight creases in the image area. The vintage original poster is free of tape or pinholes, retains strong color and is in very good condition overall.
