Keep 'Em Rolling! (Naval Power) | 1941

Keep 'Em Rolling! (Naval Power), 1941, by Leo Lionni

This powerful propaganda poster employs striking photomontage to illustrate the connection between American industry and naval warfare. The composition incorporates the American flag as its central design element, with the blue field in the upper left corner containing a black and white photograph of four shipyard or naval workers wearing welding helmets and carrying equipment cables or ropes. The red and white stripes of the flag extend horizontally across the remainder of the poster, with a formation of five PT boats (Patrol Torpedo boats) speeding through the water, creating dramatic wakes as they traverse the stripes. The vessels appear to be moving in a diagonal formation, suggesting coordinated military action. At the bottom of the poster, the slogan "KEEP 'EM ROLLING!" appears in large tan letters, with a small attribution to the "Division of Information, Office for Emergency Management" in the bottom right corner. Lionni's signature is visible in the lower left corner of the image area, marking this as part of his series of wartime industrial mobilisation posters.

This poster was created in 1941 as part of a series commissioned by the United States Government prior to America's official entry into World War II. Following the passage of the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941, the United States had begun rapid industrial mobilisation to produce war materials for Allied nations, particularly Great Britain, which was struggling against Nazi Germany's naval blockade. PT boats, like those depicted in the poster, became crucial elements in the naval strategy of the Allies, as they were fast, agile vessels that could be produced relatively quickly and in large numbers. The "Keep 'Em Rolling!" campaign aimed to motivate American industrial workers by visually connecting their manufacturing efforts directly to military outcomes. This particular design was one of four in a series by Lionni, each following the same visual structure but featuring different military equipment and workers. The poster series effectively communicated to American factory and shipyard workers how their labour contributed to the war effort abroad, even months before the attack on Pearl Harbor would bring the United States officially into the conflict.

Leo Lionni (1910-1999) was a versatile artist whose career encompassed graphic design, advertising, fine art, and children's book illustration. Born in Amsterdam to Italian-Jewish and Belgian parents, Lionni was raised in Italy before emigrating to the United States in 1939 to escape European fascism. Shortly after arriving in America, he began working at the N.W. Ayer advertising agency in Philadelphia, where his European modernist sensibilities quickly distinguished him in American commercial art. Lionni's wartime propaganda posters demonstrated his mastery of photomontage techniques and his ability to create visually arresting compositions that effectively communicated patriotic messages. His innovative approach to combining photography with graphic elements placed him among influential designers like Herbert Matter and Lester Beall, who were bringing Bauhaus-influenced design principles to American visual culture. Following the war, Lionni became art director for Fortune magazine from 1948 to 1960, creating advertisements for major clients including Olivetti typewriters and several American automotive companies. In 1959, he began what would become perhaps his most enduring legacy—writing and illustrating children's books. His first book, "Little Blue and Little Yellow," launched a career that would produce more than 40 acclaimed children's titles that often explored themes of identity, community, and the natural world through his distinctive visual storytelling.