1943 Teamwork Wins United States Maritime Commission Ships for Victory C.P. Benton WWII

Date: 1943
Artist: Benton, C.P.
Size (in): 40” x 28.5”
Size (cm): 101.6 x 72.4
Condition: B+
Linen backed: No

This vintage original and rare WWII poster was created by the artist C.P. Benton and issued by the United States Maritime Commission. The United States Maritime Commission was a federal government agency created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 tasked primarily with increasing the output of the merchant shipbuilding industry in the United States. From 1939 through the end of World War II, U.S. shipyards working under Maritime Commission contracts built almost 5,800 oceangoing merchant and naval ships in what was the largest and most successful merchant shipbuilding effort in world history.

For this poster Benton uses an image of a group of hardhat wearing shipyard workers laboring to install a giant ship’s propeller under the title TEAMWORK WINS. The poster also features the “Ships for Victory” insignia created for the United States Maritime Commission by Mark O’Dea. The lower margin shows a 1943 publication date and Benton’s signature appears in print in the lower right hand corner of the poster.
This lightly used poster was issued folded and shows moderate handling wear and a single pinhole on each corner. The poster is free of tape and retains strong color. Overall condition is very good for this vintage original and rare WWII poster. We trace only two examples at auction.