| u0003_0004200_0000096 |
| Title | U.S. Marines First to Fight in France |
| Creator | F.C. Yohn |
| Date | |
| Format | 30 x 40 in |
| Description | It is rather unexpected for the smallest and most understated portion of a recruitment poster to be the word “apply” at the bottom, but F.C. Yohn’s poster for the U.S. Marines seeks not only to persuade young men to enlist, but more broadly, to convince Americans of the legitimacy of the conflict. The poster depicts a large movement of armed soldiers landing on a beach and charging toward an urban combat zone on the right side of the image. The poster is awash in detail that contributes to a romanticized and adventurous war narrative. Two soldiers at the center of the image hoist the American flag, and the Marine Corps flag, into the air. A few feet in front of the flag bearers, a soldier with a pistol in one hand beckons the men forward with an extended arm pointing toward the devastation; however, as in many propaganda posters, the actual enemy is not shown. Beneath the soldier’s extended arm, a group of civilians can be seen in the background kneeling, praying and welcoming the men amidst a large pile of rubble. In the top, right-hand portion of the image, an airplane flies overhead, a reference to a new technology at the time that captured the public imagination. Beneath the image, in large green lettering, the poster proudly declares that the Marines were the first “TO FIGHT IN FRANCE FOR FREEDOM,” an accolade mentioned in multiple promotional materials for the Marines. By illustrating American soldiers running toward danger in defense of French civilians, the poster promotes the Marines specifically, and U.S. militarism in generally, as ethical, honorable, and deserving of public support. It is likely that the copy of this poster in the collection was not in circulation because no specific address was added in the space provided to instruct viewers where to go to enlist. |
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