À l'œuvre, c'est notre guerre [At work, it's our war]

A gloved fist raised high grips a sledgehammer against red and blue brush-stroke fields, under 'À l'œuvre' and 'C'est notre guerre' in red, white and blue lettering. The shared possessive 'notre' fuses the French-language reader with the national war effort (identity-fusion), and the worker's hammer sets out the contribution as labour.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Identity fusion

Date

1939

Period

Second World War

Made by

Service de l'information, Ministère des Services nationaux de guerre, Ottawa; artist Eric Aldwinckle

Region

North America

Country

Canada

Medium

Poster

Issuer type

State

Regime

Mackenzie King Government

Leader

William Lyon Mackenzie King

Audience

Domestic public

Purpose

Mobilize or secure compliance

Themes

Home front, War and the military

Event

World War II

Source

Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are

Source

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026

Rights

Public domain (Canadian Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired; no URAA restoration)
Service de l'information, Ministère des Services nationaux de guerre (Canada); artist Eric Aldwinckle. U.S. National Archives, World War II Foreign Posters (NAID 44268091).

À L'ŒUVRE
C'EST NOTRE GUERRE
PUBLIÉE PAR LE SERVICE DE L'INFORMATION, MINISTÈRE DES SERVICES NATIONAUX DE GUERRE, OTTAWA
IMPRIMÉ AU CANADA
[code at lower left:] [illegible]
[signature:] Aldwinckle

AT WORK
IT'S OUR WAR
PUBLISHED BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL WAR SERVICES, OTTAWA
PRINTED IN CANADA
[code at lower left:] [illegible]
[signature:] Aldwinckle