I WANT YOU. 1940.

37 3/4x25 inches. Leslie-Judge & Co.
Condition B+: restoration and repaired tears along vertical and horizontal folds; repaired tears in left margin; overpainting in corners.
Uncle Sam dressed in red, white and blue. Originally issued in 1917, this is "the best known American poster of all time," (Darracott xviii), and clearly a "cultural icon" (Power p. 162) of 20th century imagery and propaganda. This image originally appeared on the cover of Leslie magazine for which Flagg worked as an illustrator. It is the classic example of war posters which made "every individual feel that he was being appealed to personally and to make each one feel guilty if he didn't sign up and help," (Gallo p. 190). Graphically, it "demonstrates the commanding effectiveness of a strong design and simple message," (American p. 99). Its enduring fame is captured by the United States Post Office, which recently included it on a sheet of stamps commemorating the major influences of this century. This classic image is actually a self-portrait of the artist, and the pose was adopted from an earlier British poster featuring Lord Kitchener. Flagg p. 80 and cover, America 60, IWM p. 27, Rawls p. 13, Theofiles 11, Darracott 13, Word and Image p. 48, Johnson 24, Power 156 (all var).