James Mongomery Flagg's "I Want You" US Army Recruiting poster: The most famous poster in the world, with 4 million copies printed and distributed between 1917-1918.
American born and raised illustrator James Montgomery Flagg is the man responsible for one of the most recognizable posters of all time. His World War I propaganda poster of Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer is a classic and excellently executed piece of work that holds strong roots in USA soil.
Originally being a cover-page illustration for Leslie's Weekly, it was adapted for WWII use, making Flagg to have been the highest paid magazine illustrator in the States. It turns out that his poster was not completely original, as it was based off a recruitment poster for the British Army made by Alfred Leete 3 years before.
Some of the posters inspired by James Montgomery Flagg's original design:
A British version from 1914, by Alfred Leete.
Here's the Russian equivalent of the "I Want You" poster, a poster recruiting for the USSR Army, by Dmitry Moor in 1920.
An Italian version.
Not by James Montgomery Flagg, but inspired by his original campaign.
Other variations of James Montogomery Flagg's Uncle Sam posters:
Other war posters we found during our hunt, great by not created by Flagg:
Not by James Montgomery Flagg, artist unknown.
Not by James Montgomery Flagg, artist unknown.
