AVENGE DECEMBER 7TH A dramatic World War II poster by Bernard Perlin. Washington, D.C. Office of War Information, 1942. Original full-color poster measuring 22 x 28 inches. This moving image depicts a sailor with his fist raised, standing above a scene of an exploding battleship, with the words "Avenge December 7" in red across the middle of the poster. With America's entrance into WWII after Pearl Harbor, the Office of War Information quickly coordinated efforts to generate support for the war effort. This striking image on OWI "Poster No. 15," memorializing the events of December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor) was painted by Virginia-born artist Bernard Perlin, a Guggenheim fellow and respected painter who was a well-known illustrator for Life and Fortune.
These posters and others like it were displayed in shipyards, army and navy posts, waterfront bars, restaurants, public buildings and gathering places; and wherever there was danger of spies or saboteurs.
The poster is nicely marked on the bottom border:
OWI Poster No. 15. Additional copies may be obtained upon request from the Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information, Washington, D.C. U. S. Government Printing Office: 1942 O-491978
The condition of the poster is very good, with vibrant colors and original fold creases but does retain three small holes (near the top) and some moisture damage to the bottom corners with age. This poster comes nicely framed.
Bernard Perlin was an American painter. He is primarily known for creating pro-war art during World War II and magic realism paintings of urban American life.
Perlin was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1918 to Davis and Anna Schireff Perlin. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia, and his father died when Perlin was 10 years old. Perlin grew up with two older sisters, Mildred and Jeanette. At the encouragement of a high school teacher, he was enrolled in the New York School of Design. He studied there from 1934 to 1936, the National Academy of Design with Leon Kroll in 1937, and then the Arts Student League with Isabel Bishop, William Palmer, and Harry Sternberg until 1940. In 1938, he was awarded the Kosciusko Foundation Award to study in Poland.
