?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG (1870-1960) I WANT YOU FOR THE U.S. ARMY. 1917. 40x29 3/4 inches, 101 1/2x75 1/2 cm. Leslie-Judge Co., New York. Condition A- / B+: minor losses along upper left edge; foxing and abrasions in image. Mounted on board. "The best known American poster of all time" (Darracott xviii), and clearly "a cultural icon" (Power p. 162) of 20th century imagery and propaganda. This image of Uncle Sam originally appeared on the cover of Leslie magazine, for which Flagg worked as an illustrator. It is the classic example of war posters which made "every individual feel that he was being appealed to personally and to make each one feel guilty if he didn't sign up and help" (Gallo p. 190). Graphically, it "demonstrates the commanding effectiveness of a strong design and simple message" (American p. 99). Because this poster was so popular and universally known, it was re-issued during the Second World War with slightly different text, and it's enduring fame is captured by the United States Post Office, which recently included it on a sheet of stamps commemorating the major influences of this century. The classic image is actually a self-portrait of the artist, and the pose was adopted from an earlier British poster featuring Lord Kitchener. Flagg p. 80 and cover, American Style 60, IWM p. 27, Rawls p. 13, Theofiles 11, Darracott 13, Rickards 14, Borkan p. 13, Word and Image p. 48, Johnson 24, Power of The Poster 156.
