"Rivets are Bayonets, Drive Them Home" by John E. Sheridan, Vintage WWI Poster

This original recruitment poster dates to WWI and shows the American vision of cooperation between soldier and machinist. The poster was illustrated by John Sheridan and published by Thomsen-Ellis Co. in Philadelphia. It was produced by the U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation, which was organized to operate merchant ships for the U.S. government.

The dynamic poster shows a ship riveter at work in the foreground, mirrored by a shadow silhouette of a soldier against a waving American flag. The  text "Rivets are Bayonets, Drive them Home!" is printed in bold orange at the top of the poster. The poster served as a reminder that the American worker was just as important to the war effort as the soldiers in the field. Industrial workers were encouraged by posters that presented their work at home as necessary and impactful. Images that depicted their tools as weapons and demonstrated the urgent demand for the items they were producing, like merchant ships, were used to encourage them on the job.

John Emmet Sheridan (1877-1948) was an American illustrator well known for his cover art for The Saturday Evening Post, his illustrations for Collier's Weekly and Ladies' Home Journal, and his commercial advertisements. During World War I, Sheridan served on an art committee for the Federal Committee of Public Information. The art committee’s famed chairman, Charles Dana Gibson, recommended Sheridan for the position. Sheridan developed lifelong friendships while creating war posters that advertised recruitment and aid programs, including committee colleague James Montgomery Flagg, inventor of the iconic Uncle Sam imagery. John Sheridan is remembered for his era-defining portrayals of American sports and the U.S. military.

CONDITION:

Overall very good condition. Original color lithograph. Signed in the stone by Sheridan. Some creasing and fold lines as to be expected with age and past use.. Poster is linen backed. Sold Unframed. 

Unframed dimensions: 38" H x 25" W.