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This is a striking World War II propaganda poster created by Anton Otto Fischer, titled A Careless Word…A Needless Sinking (1942).
This is the large version of the poster, which far more frequently appears in a 22 x 28 inch version.
Fischer, a German-born illustrator and artist laureate of the U.S. Coast Guard during the war, crafted this image as part of the Office of War Information's (OWI) campaign to warn against the dangers of loose talk. The poster dramatically illustrates a lifeboat filled with injured and exhausted sailors rowing away from their torpedoed ship, which is engulfed in flames. The vivid use of color and Fischer's skillful composition convey the grave consequences of even a small lapse in secrecy during wartime.
This poster was part of the larger OWI initiative to mobilize the American public's support for the war effort and to heighten awareness of the vital role civilians played in safeguarding military operations. Fischer's image, with its evocative rendering of maritime disaster, highlights the potential consequences of unguarded conversation, emphasizing that even casual words could lead to devastating losses. Fischer's background as a sailor and his mastery of marine scenes lends authenticity and emotional impact to the portrayal of men at sea facing catastrophic danger.
The poster reflects the heightened sense of urgency during the war to control information that could be intercepted by the enemy. Fischer, well-known for his illustrations of sea literature like Moby Dick, brought his expertise in maritime imagery to this government project, where his work for the Coast Guard primarily focused on raising awareness about protecting merchant shipping routes from enemy espionage.
This particular poster is not just a powerful piece of visual art but also a key artifact of wartime propaganda, designed to remind every American of the importance of maintaining operational secrecy.
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