A sailor in a white cap leans into the frame, grinning, his thumb jabbed back over his shoulder. Behind him, on the grey armour of a big gun turret, a shipmate with a paint pot is adding another small rising-sun flag to a growing row. A speech bubble says it all: Couldn’t have done it without you! Below, in script and then in tall red capitals: Full speed ahead… We’ve still got a big job to do!
A poster for the people who built the fleet
Most Navy posters of the war asked young men to enlist. This one was aimed at somebody else: the men and women in the shipyards, steel mills and aircraft plants. It was issued in 1943 by the Navy Department’s Industrial Incentive Division, which made posters to keep war workers on the job and production rising. The Government Printing Office listed it in its November 1943 catalogue, printed at 40 by 28½ inches.
The idea was simple. The sailor is thanking the viewer personally. Every flag painted on that turret marks an enemy aircraft or ship brought down, and the poster tells the worker that the guns, the shells and the ship itself came from people like them. Then it asks for more: the job is not finished.
The Industrial Incentive Division
The division’s posters hung in factories, canteens and shipyards across the country. Some, like this one, used cheerful thanks; others leaned on guilt, showing wounded servicemen to discourage workers from taking days off. Absenteeism was a real worry for wartime industry, and the same message runs through our Great Americans Don’t Take Time Off poster from the same year.
Howard Scott
Howard Scott (1902 to 1983) was one of the busiest advertising artists in New York. From a studio overlooking Rockefeller Plaza he designed billboards for Heinz, Campbell’s Soup and Nash Motors, known for big friendly faces and a clever line of copy, and won medals from the Art Directors Club. He painted thirteen covers for The Saturday Evening Post between 1941 and 1945, and served in the Navy during the war, drawing posters for it.
You can see the billboard man at work here: one big smiling face, one short line, and a message you can read from across a factory floor.
The restored edition
Our edition was restored from a scan of an original 1943 print. The paint was cleaned and the colour brought back, with creases, stains and wear removed. The lettering and Scott’s signature are kept from the original. The product page has a before and after slider so you can compare.
The restored poster is available as a paper print in three sizes or framed in black, white or natural wood, printed to order in the USA.
Frequently asked questions
Who painted Couldn’t Have Done It Without You!?
Howard Scott (1902 to 1983), a New York advertising and billboard artist who painted Saturday Evening Post covers and served in the Navy during the Second World War.
When was the poster made?
In 1943. The Government Printing Office listed it in its November 1943 monthly catalogue.
Who was the poster for?
War workers. It was issued by the Navy Department’s Industrial Incentive Division to thank shipyard and factory workers and keep production up, rather than to recruit sailors.
What are the flags on the gun turret?
Japanese rising-sun flags painted as victory markings, each one standing for an enemy aircraft or ship brought down.
How big was the original?
The original was printed at 40 by 28½ inches. Our restored prints come in 11.7 × 16.5, 20 × 28 and 23.4 × 33.1 inches, or framed.