Pour défendre l'héritage impérial Circa 1940

This powerful circa 1940 original poster by V. Chol, titled “Pour défendre l’héritage impérial – Engagez-vous dans la Marine”, is a striking example of French naval propaganda from the early years of the Second World War. Conceived as a recruitment image, it blends heroic classicism, maritime symbolism, and imperial iconography to glorify service in the French Navy and to frame it as a noble duty tied to history, exploration, and national destiny.

At the center stands an idealized sailor in traditional naval uniform, holding a halberd-like standard topped with an anchor. His upright posture, calm expression, and sculptural modeling recall academic and neoclassical portraiture, presenting the mariner not as an individual but as a timeless archetype of discipline, courage, and honor. Behind him unfolds a richly detailed map-like backdrop populated with compass roses, ships, mythological figures, and exotic fauna—visual references to navigation, discovery, and overseas territories. This layered background situates the sailor within a grand narrative of empire and maritime power.

The ribboned text, elegantly unfurled across the composition, reinforces the theatrical and ceremonial tone of the image. The warm palette, careful draftsmanship, and symmetrical balance distinguish this poster from more radical modernist propaganda of the era; instead, it deliberately reaches back to classical illustration traditions to evoke stability and continuity at a moment of geopolitical uncertainty.

Today, this poster is both a visually compelling work and a historical document. It reflects how recruitment imagery of the period mobilized romanticized visions of empire and the sea to inspire enlistment. As such, it occupies an important place in the history of wartime poster art, revealing the aesthetic strategies used to link military service with heritage, identity, and imagined grandeur.

Original Poster

Military - Navy - Colony - France

Join the Navy

Printed by Monegasque in Monte Carlo

Good condition, slight creases