SPEED UP AMERICA. Circa 1943

Combining the legend of Paul Revere and the visual horrors of World War II, Flagg has created an intense image of Uncle Sam on horseback, his jacket off, as he is urging his mount to speed up, a fiery swastika in the dark gray sky behind him. "The poster was called "Wake Up America" originally, but the title was changed later" (Flagg p. 40). Two International News Photos from the 1940s show Flagg posing with a copy of this poster, in each image he is dressed as Uncle Sam, because, just as with his I Want You poster, he used himself as the model for this image. Flagg p. 40-41.