Proud - I'll Say Join The Waves

The WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) was a women's branch of the United States Navy created during World War II because of the need for more military personnel. The WAVES' members held the same rank as male personnel and received the same pay. WAVES did not serve aboard combat ships or aircrafts. By the end of the war, over 84,000 women served in WAVES with 8,000 female officers, which constituted 2.5% of the US Navy's personnel strength.

John Philip Falter (1910 - 1982) was an artist and illustrator famous for his The Saturday Evening Post covers. He studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and later moved to New York. He was influenced by the art of Frederic Remington and Norman Rockwell. In 1943 he enlisted in the Navy and designed over 300 recruiting posters for the American war. He became popular for the loose-lips-sink-ships theme in his posters, but also worked in the recruiting posters for the Waves. Falter was a prolific artist who depicted a wide range of subject matter in a variety of media. He illustrated over 40 books, and became an excellent portrait painter. In 1980, a documentary video: A View from the Standpipe: John Falter's World, was released by Nebraska Educational Television. This documentary provides more information about John's work, through one-on-one interviews in his Philadelphia location and shows a number of his paintings.

As part of the Navy's campaign to recruit new Waves candidates John Falter shows the image of the proud Father holding the photo of his Waves daughter in full uniform. This confirms the value and importance of service in the war effort.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.