Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

C.C. Beall
1943 original wartime poster by C.C. Beall - Dare you to say or think...

1943

$1,164.69
£882.28
€1,000
CA$1,613.52
A$1,809.67
CHF 947.70
MX$21,989.30
NOK 12,034.18
SEK 11,409.25
DKK 7,613.77

About the Item

This 1943 original wartime poster by illustrator C.C. Beall is a searing psychological appeal rendered in oil and urgency. Created during the height of World War II, the image confronts its viewer with raw emotion and moral indictment, embodying the era’s ethos of sacrifice, duty, and collective resolve. At the center, a Naval officer, eyes wide with anguish and defiance, supports the limp, bloodied body of a wounded sailor. The composition is viscerally human — no abstraction, no patriotic gloss — just two men locked in the intimate, unbearable immediacy of war. Beall’s technique, honed as a war correspondent and portraitist, places anatomical precision in service of emotional truth. The wounded man’s pale torso, streaked with crimson, becomes both martyr and mirror. The text, set in gold block lettering, demands not passive patriotism but internal reckoning: "Dare you to say or think you do not feel the bullet that has pierced the flesh..." This isn’t just propaganda; it’s moral theater. The phrasing is accusatory, intimate, and deliberately unsettling — an internal monologue weaponized into public persuasion. The background is shrouded in darkness, both literal and symbolic. There is no battlefield in sight — only claustrophobic shadows and the tension between flesh, fabric, and faith. The setting might be a ship’s corridor, but it could just as easily be the conscience of the viewer. This ambiguity is the poster’s brilliance: it doesn’t document war, it invokes it. Released by the U.S. Government Printing Office, this poster was designed not to inform but to involve — to collapse the distance between front lines and factory floors, between soldier and citizen. It calls out to workers on the home front, warning them that to falter in production is to betray the sacrifice of those in uniform. In an era when visual media bore the full weight of national morale, Beall’s composition stands out as an unflinching portrayal of wartime ethics. Today, it endures not only as a historical artifact but as a potent reminder of how design can channel grief, fury, and urgency into a single visual cry: You are not separate. You are accountable. War 39-45 - United States General Cable Corporation
  • Creator:
    C.C. Beall (1892 - 1967, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1943
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 35.44 in (90 cm)Width: 25.99 in (66 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Good condition, one tear, one crease.
  • Gallery Location:
    PARIS, FR
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1792216461242

More From This Seller

View All
Original 1943 World War II poster, designed by Sloan Roberts
Located in PARIS, FR
This original 1943 World War II poster, designed by Sloan Roberts, was part of the U.S. government’s War Bonds campaign, encouraging American citizens to financially support the war effort. During WWII, War Bonds were a crucial means of raising funds for military operations, and posters like this played a significant role in mobilizing patriotic sentiment across the nation. Roberts’ artwork for this poster is a striking example of wartime propaganda, using bold imagery and compelling text to inspire action. The composition typically features heroic figures—soldiers, civilians, or symbolic American icons—set against a powerful backdrop, reinforcing themes of duty, sacrifice, and national unity. The typography is strong and direct, emphasizing the message: "Buy War Bonds", a rallying cry repeated across numerous government-issued posters during the war. As a wartime artist, Sloan Roberts was known for his ability to evoke emotion and urgency through dynamic compositions and dramatic lighting. His work exemplifies the graphic design style of the era, which combined realistic illustration with bold, patriotic color schemes—often featuring reds, whites, and blues to reinforce national pride. These original 1943 posters were distributed widely across public spaces, factories, schools, and military recruitment centers, serving as a visual reminder of the home front’s responsibility in the war effort. Today, Sloan Roberts’ War Bonds poster is a highly collectible piece of WWII history, valued for its artistic, historical, and patriotic significance. This poster remains an iconic representation of American resilience and unity, making it a prized addition for collectors of vintage military propaganda, WWII memorabilia...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph, Paper, Linen

World War II original poster by the U.S. Office of War Information (O.W.I.)
Located in PARIS, FR
In 1945, as World War II was coming to an end, the U.S. Office of War Information (O.W.I.) produced the Work Together, Prospect Together poster as part of a broader campaign to promo...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph, Paper

Original WWII poster by the Ministry of Navy - Too talkative, you betray !
Located in PARIS, FR
Original poster published by the press and information service of the Ministry of the Navy, which warns: too talkative, you betray.
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph, Paper, Linen

Circa 1940 original poster by renowned artist Paul Lengellé is a striking t
Located in PARIS, FR
This circa 1940 original poster by renowned artist Paul Lengellé is a striking tribute to the French Naval Aviation, "L'aéronautique Navale." Lengellé, celebrated for his exceptional...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph, Paper

1947 original poster post-war American industrial messaging
Located in PARIS, FR
Striking, surreal, and direct, this 1947 original poster designed by Victor B. Wells is a rare example of post-war American industrial messaging that blends dramatic visual metaphor ...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Linen, Paper, Lithograph

1944 Original poster from WWII - Shut up... The German fled, the spy remains!
Located in PARIS, FR
We are in 1944. It was not until autumn that France was liberated from its Nazi invader, thanks in particular to the American landing. In the streets, these posters were put up to w...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph, Paper, Linen

You May Also Like

Original Now All Together Poster by C.C. Beall 1945
Located in Boca Raton, FL
This poster from 1945 by Cecil Calvert (C.C.) Beall (1892-1967) and commissioned by the Official US Treasury was made for promoting the 7th War Loan, just days after the victory in E...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph

Now All Together Original Vintage Poster by C.C. Beall for WWII 7th War Loan Lar
By C.C. Beall
Located in Boca Raton, FL
This poster from 1945 by Cecil Calvert (C.C.) Beall (1892-1967) and commissioned by the Official US Treasury was made for promoting the 7th War Loan, just days after the victory in E...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph

Original WWII Poster 1944 by Wesley Heyman - Because Somebody Talked Small
Located in Boca Raton, FL
A lonesome Cocker Spaniard waits for his master, a sailor who has died overseas due to loose talk on the home front in this 1944 World War II propaganda poster by Wesley Heyman (1918...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph

Original American WWII Poster by Schiffers - VD Almost
Located in Boca Raton, FL
VD Almost! is a 1946 public service announcement by Franz O. Schiffers (1902-1976). Schiffers was commissioned to create several posters warning against venereal disease aimed at the...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph

Original Vintage WWII Poster Back Up The Fighting Forces British Army RAF Navy
Located in London, GB
Original vintage World War Two poster - Back Up The Fighting Forces - featuring an image of three men in military uniform from the Royal Air Force RAF, British Army and Royal Navy ag...
Category

Vintage 1940s British Posters

Materials

Paper

Original WWII 1943 Poster - Let 'Em Have It by Bernard Perlin
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Let ‘Em Have It is a 1943 World War II American public service announcement for Bonds supporting the Fourth War Loan.Bernard Perlin's artwork places the viewer right in the thick of ...
Category

1940s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph