Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Canadian War Workers Identify Their Handicraft, 1940 Canada poster: A spotlight beam falls on a Canadian maple-leaf emblem

Canadian War Workers Identify Their Handicraft

A spotlight beam falls on a Canadian maple-leaf emblem whose rim reads CANADA in English, Cyrillic and Chinese characters, over a dark shipyard skyline. The quoted line 'War workers will point with pride to their workmanship' appeals to pride in the work (glittering generalities) and ties each worker's output to the national emblem (identity fusion).

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Glittering generalitiesIdentity fusion
Date
1940
Period
Second World War
Made by
Department of Munitions and Supply for Canada
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
Labor, Home front
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)
Department of Munitions and Supply (Canada), c. 1940-1945. U.S. National Archives, Record Group 44.

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

Canadian
WAR WORKERS
identify their
Handicraft
CANADA
КАНАДА
加拿大
"WAR WORKERS WILL POINT WITH
PRIDE TO THEIR WORKMANSHIP"
This message is issued by the Department of Munitions and Supply for Canada

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