With U-Printing gearing up for a poster discount during the month of July and with the 4th of July holiday just around the corner, we thought it would be a great time to look at some interesting and unique patriotic military recruitment and fund raising posters. The armed forces have always used the concept of patriotism to entice potential recruits to join and to elicit donations. Here are three examples of military posters which touch on the concepts.

I. Uncle Sam and the Kids

We’ve already looked at James Montgomery Flagg’s most famous Uncle Sam poster previously, but Flagg actually created several posters using his iconic representation of the character, including this one:

In this entry, a 1917 poster by Flagg, Uncle Sam is not recruiting soldiers, but is recruiting donations from children (and their parents) to help the war effort. The representation is Uncle Sam as the avatar of the United States and personalizes the war, by making it “your Uncle Sam” who is fighting. It is a powerful image, both for children and adults. The implication is that if children can save their quarters to by stamps, then their parents should be able to do more.

2. “I Wish I Were a Man”

Whereas Uncle Sam is the kindly uncle imploring citizens to help, consider this Howard Chandler Christy WWI naval recruiting poster:

The strength of this poster is its challenging nature. A beautiful woman, the representation of the all-American girl of the period, challenging men to join the Navy. The log line below the image is even more of a challenge saying “Be a Man and Do It.” The message is clear, real men will join the Navy.

3. Star-Spangled Heart

Women have also been the targets of military recruiting efforts. For example, look at this Korea War era poster:

The Star-Spangled Heart phrase in this poster is a very powerful one. It’s a challenge to the women viewing it, not unlike the “I Wish I was a Man” poster above, challenging not only their patriotism, but their heart and romantic nature as well. It’s a provocative poster, designed specifically to encourage women to join the military by creating a picture of the military as both patriotic and romantic.

Conclusion

There is a long rich history of patriotic posters being used by the military to deliver their message. Outside the messages, the images remain enduring and beautiful even decades later. They also remain testaments to the power of the poster as an advertising medium.