"I Want You" WWII Army Enlistment Poster by James Montgomery Flagg (R 1941)

This image has been used over time, for different wars to aid recruitment efforts. This particular poster was created for WWII.

This iconic image of Uncle Sam was originally created by James Montgomery Flagg for a July 1916 issue of Leslie’s Weekly. It was adapted for use during WWI as part of a series of 46 posters he produced for that war effort.

Interestingly enough, Flagg’s quintessentially American image was a crib of a British drawing from three years earlier. The original appeared in a 1914 edition of the British magazine London Opinion. It featured a grim looking Lord Kitchener urging Britons to enlist in the army. That drawing, by Alfred Leete, would itself be adapted into a famous recruiting poster in the United Kingdom.

Fun Fact: This poster came from the estate of John D. F. Black, a screenwriter/producer/director for the original Star Trek series. This poster hung in the production offices for the series.