Denotation: You can see a man from the navy riding a torpedo in the water, and seems to be enjoying it, almost as if he’s riding a bull.
Connotation: There could be many meanings Babcock was intending on, for example in order to recruit people to join the navy he made the man in the poster look like he is having fun, so recruits might find the navy more exciting.
This is another example the classic “tie on the doorknob”
Denotation: it is a tie tied on a doorknob
Connotation: usually in college dorms or roommate housing a tie on a doorknob means that no one should enter because the two people in the room are having intercourse.
OCA Art Blog 