Printed & framed in the USA Made to order, most in 3–5 business days Sizes up to 60 in Free replacement if damaged Free US shipping, no minimum

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Enlist in the WAVES by U.S. Navy Recruiting Bureau — restored poster print
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Compare all 6 sizes side by side on one wall

Vintage Travel Posters

Enlist in the WAVES — WWII Poster, 1943

U.S. Navy Recruiting Bureau, 1943 — US government poster, National Archives NAID 513651

U.S. National Archives, Record Group 44, World War II Posters (NAID 513651, 44-PA-208); a US government work in the public domain · 1943

$439

For 24×36 in, float frame canvas, black

Printed & framed in the USA

Made to orderShips in a flat box or tubeDamaged or not what you ordered? Tell us within 7 days of delivery — free replacement

Step 1 of 3

Choose a size

Size

Will it fit? Check these sizes against your wall

Measure the wall between whatever bounds it — window trim, a doorway, the corner. Sizes are judged hung (frame included) with 6 in of breathing room, two-thirds the width of the furniture under them, and the center at eye level (57–60 in). Guidance, not a guarantee: the true-size template is the final check.

Print a true-size wall template (PDF with instructions)

Step 2 of 3

Choose a finish

For 24×36 in ·

Finish · prices for 24×36 in

Having rolled canvas framed locally? Give your framer the canvas size.

Step 3 of 3

Review your art

Art
Enlist in the WAVES
Size
24×36 in ·
Finish
Float frame canvas, Black ·
Price
$439
  • Made to order just for you: printed, finished and packed within 3–5 business days. Your order reaches the printer within minutes and printing can start soon after; once it starts, the order can't be canceled or changed.
  • Free replacement if it arrives damaged, defective or not what you ordered — tell us within 7 days of delivery, with photos. Because each piece is made for you, there are no returns for a change of mind. Full policy
  • No hanging hardware is included. Stretched and framed canvases hang flat on two nails or screws, set level: the wooden bar on the back rests on them, and the free wall template marks the spot. Rolled canvas goes to a framer first.
  • Printed from an archive scan of the original poster (1943). Its paper tone, small spots and marks of age are part of the picture, just as on the original sheet, and colors can look slightly different on your screen.

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24×36 in · Float frame canvas, Black$439

Shipping & delivery
  • Free US shipping, no minimum

How it gets to you · item no. 604 · SKU PST-LAS0604-FFL-24X36

  1. Printed for youwithin 3–5 business days
  2. Shipped with tracking3–8 business days after printing
  3. Delivered to your doorFree US shipping, no minimum · tracking link emailed

Before you hang it, print the true-size wall template to see exactly where it will sit.

Returns & cancellations

Please check before you buy. Your order goes to the printer within minutes, and once printing starts, made-to-order pieces can't be canceled, changed or returned for a change of mind, so please check the size guide and room views first. If it arrives damaged, defective or not what you ordered, we'll replace it free within 7 days. Full policy

Materials & finish

Printed on 400 gsm canvas with pigment inks. Stretched canvas and float frame canvas sit on a 1.5 in (38 mm) wooden stretcher; the classic frame holds the canvas on a slimmer 0.75 in (19 mm) stretcher. Rolled canvas ships in a sturdy tube.

The float frame stands 2.1 in (53 mm) off the wall, with a 0.5 in (12 mm) face and a 0.2 in (5 mm) gap around the canvas. The classic frame stands 0.9 in (22 mm) off the wall with a 0.8 in (20 mm) face.

Hanging hardware is not included. Two picture hooks (or screws) rated for the weight, set level, are all it needs; the free true-size wall template marks the spot.

Corner of a Black float frame canvas: the canvas sits inside the frame with a narrow gap Back of a float frame canvas: wooden stretcher inside the frame, no hanging hardware fitted Cross-section of the float frame: 53 mm deep, 12 mm face, 5 mm gap, 38 mm canvas
The float frame up close: front corner, the back as it arrives, and its cross-section. Photos: Prodigi, who print and frame our pieces.

Every finish is printed from the same file at the same resolution; only the mounting changes.

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Rights & provenance record

Source scan: U.S. National Archives, Record Group 44, World War II Posters (44-PA-208, NAID 513651)
Rights statement of the archive: “Public domain. A work of the United States government (Navy Recruiting Bureau, 1943): US federal works are not subject to copyright (17 U.S.C. §105). The National Archives record (NAID 513651, 44-PA-208) states use restriction: Unrestricted.”
Original poster: U.S. Navy Recruiting Bureau, 1943. Verified 2026-10-19.

This product is a new print made to order from a restored scan of that poster. It is not an original antique and is not sold as one.

The story of this poster

The WAVES, the women’s reserve of the US Navy, was created in 1942, and this 1943 recruiting poster asked women to take shore jobs so more sailors could go to sea. The salute, the white glove and the big red and white lettering make it one of the brightest posters of the group.

It suits an office, a hallway or a room with navy and red in it.

The poster comes from the U.S. National Archives (NAID 513651, 44-PA-208). It was issued by the Navy Recruiting Bureau, and as a work of the United States government it is in the public domain. The scan was cleaned and color-corrected while keeping the paper tone; it is restored from the Archives’ image, not redrawn.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Enlist in the WAVES: archive scan compared with the restored print

What we did to this scan

  1. Cropped by hand to the edge of the printed sheet.
  2. Balanced the levels and took out the scanner’s color cast, keeping 75% of the paper’s age tone.
  3. Cleaned dust and specks picked up by the scanner.
  4. A light sharpen, so fine lines and lettering hold at large sizes.

About this particular sheet. Made from the National Archives' scan of the whole printed sheet, trimmed to the edge of the paper, cleaned of dust and specks and color-corrected while keeping the paper tone; the government printing imprint at the foot of the sheet is kept.

Every print is credited to its archive here and in your order confirmation. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn. How we restore.

Questions

What does the poster show?
A smiling young woman in a navy blue uniform and hat saluting, under "Enlist in the WAVES" in white on red, with a red ribbon reading "Release a man to fight at sea".
Is this an original WWII poster?
No. It is a new canvas print made from the National Archives' full-resolution scan of the original poster. We never sell originals.
Where does this image come from?
From the U.S. National Archives, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, record NAID 513651 (local identifier 44-PA-208). It was issued by the Navy Recruiting Bureau in 1943. It is a work of the United States government, which is not subject to copyright (17 U.S.C. §105), so it is in the public domain; the Archives' record lists its use as unrestricted and is linked on this page.
How is it made?
It is printed to order for you, in the finish you choose: a float frame canvas, a classic frame canvas, a stretched canvas or a rolled canvas. Both frames come in Black or Antique Gold. The size and finish picker shows which sizes each finish is made in.
Colors vary a little between screens and canvas. The previews are drawn, not photographed, and are a close match to the printed piece.

Every size, one wall

All 6 sizes of this print, side by side

To scale, framed, with a 5 ft 6 in figure for reference — so you can see the steps between sizes at a glance before you pick one above.

Left to right: 40×60 in · 32×48 in · 24×36 in · 20×30 in · 16×24 in · 12×18 in

Every size to scale on one wall, framed in Black, beside a 5 ft 6 in figure. Room photograph generated for scale; the figure is 5 ft 6 in.

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Size guide
5′6″ 12×16 in18×24 in24×36 in
SizeMetricBest for
12×18 in30×46 cmDesk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
16×24 in41×61 cmAbove a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
20×30 in51×76 cmOver a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
24×36 in61×91 cmOver a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
32×48 in81×122 cmOver a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
40×60 in102×152 cmOver a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Sizes are the canvas size. A framed piece is a little larger than its canvas: add the frame.