FILTER RESULTS
Poster: I Want You For U.S. Army
1917James Montgomery Flagg
United States (Pelham Manor, NY, 1877 - 1960, New York, NY)
Object Type:
Print
Medium and Support:
Lithograph
Credit Line:
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Merritt
Accession Number:
1971.50
Location: Not currently on view
In the most famous of American recruiting posters, Uncle Sam (the male personification of the United States of America) demands your participation in the U.S. Army. The Army printed over four million copies of I Want You during the First World War. James Montgomery Flagg's depiction of Uncle Sam, reportedly modeled on the artists' own features, has become iconic. Uncle Sam's paternal appearance and forceful call to action heroized soldiers and one's duty to the country.
[Gallery label text, 2006]
[Gallery label text, 2006]
Bibliography
For general references, see "War Poster Collections: Strong, Garrett, Taber, Fisk, Wright, Turnbull, McClenahan [and] Miscellaneous Collections," 1919, cat. no Misc BFA1204, p. 13; Maurice Rickards, “Posters of the First World War,” 1968, cat. no. 14; Paula Harper, “War, Revolution & Peace: propaganda posters from the Hoover Institution archives, 1914-1945,” 1970, cat. no. 15; George Theofiles, "American Posters of World War I," New York: Dafran House Publishers, Inc., 1973, fig. 11, p. 24; James Aulich, "War Posters," New York : Thames & Hudson, 2007, pp. 14, 22, fig. 18.
Additional Images
Click an image to view a larger version
Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- Poster Exhibition 1/5/1973 - 3/4/1973
- Recent Acquisitions & Memorial Bequests 1/8/1975 - 2/23/1975
- Calling Every Man, Woman and Child: American World War I Posters Memorial Art Gallery 10/27/2006 - 1/21/2007
Bibliography
This object has the following bibliographic references:
- Article Title: Poster Show. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Memorial Art Gallery. Gallery Notes. Rochester, New York: Memorial Art Gallery, 1935-1995. Volume Number: 38, Issue Number: 5. Issue Date: January 1973.
Portfolio List
Click a portfolio name to view all the objects in that portfolio
This object is a member of the following portfolios:
Web Links
See links to web pages and lesson plans
World War I Posters Lesson Plan
Lesson plan around MAG's collection of World War I posters
American Memory Project
Describes this as the "Most Famous Poster"