| u0003_0004200_0000092 |
| Title | The Navy Needs You! |
| Creator | James Montgomery Flagg |
| Date | 1917 |
| Format | 30 x 40 in |
| Description | This recruitment poster for the U.S. Navy by James Montgomery Flagg, one of the most famous WWI propaganda artists, neatly shows how words and images can be deployed in unison to communicate. The brightly colored image shows a white civilian, nicely dressed, walking outside while holding a newspaper, blissfully unaware of the battleships fighting at sea behind him until a uniformed sailor placed an arm on the man’s shoulder and redirects his attention. Directly above the men, floating in the air, is Columbia, the allegorical female embodiment of America holding a sword in one hand and an American flag in the other. Columbia is sometimes depicted as a fierce warrior, and although she holds a sword in this image, Flagg’s version of Columbia is sexualized, vulnerable, and given wings. The black text in the upper-left corner gives shape to the interaction by stating, “THE NAVY NEEDS YOU! DON’T READ AMERICAN HISTORY-MAKE IT!” In placing the two men side-by-side, Flagg’s poster allows male audiences to imagine themselves as becoming heroic and adventurous shapers of history after joining the military. |
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