I really like this image a lot, it is a very strong image, very iconic. It is a good study of a Marine Corps uniform typically worn during WWI. Interestingly, the Evening Star Building referenced in this poster was home to Washington, D.C.'s most important newspaper at the time, the Evening Star. Located at 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. the building has long since reigned as one of our nation's capital's premier signature architectural landmarks. The original artist was James Montgomery Flagg.
After some digging, I found this information about the artist:
James Montgomery Flagg was born in Pelham Manor, New York on June 18, 1877. He was enthusiastic about drawing from a young age, and had illustrations accepted by national magazines by the age of 12 years. By 14 he was a contributing artist for Life Magazine, and the following year was on the staff of Judge Magazine. He studied fine art in London and Paris in his early 20s, then returned to the United States, where he produced illustrations for books, magazine covers, political and humorous cartoons, advertising, and spot drawings prolifically. Working as an American artist and illustrator, he worked in media ranging from fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered for his posters.At the height of his career, he was reported to have been the highest paid magazine illustrator in America.
In addition to his recruiting posters, his most famous poster was created in 1917 to encourage recruitment during World War I. It showed Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer with the caption "I Want YOU". Over 4 million copies of the poster were printed during World War I, and it was revived for World War II. Flagg used his own face for that of Uncle Sam (adding age and the white goatee), he said later simply to avoid the trouble of arranging for a model.
James Montgomery Flagg died in New York City May 27, 1960.
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