On your wall
The WPA & the Golden Age · The American Golden Age
I Want You for the Navy
Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952) · United States Navy recruiting, 1917
What it is
A 1917 colour recruiting poster in which Howard Chandler Christy applies his illustrator's 'Christy Girl' type to Navy enlistment, telling the reader to apply at any recruiting station or postmaster.
Why it matters
Against Flagg's stern pointing finger, Christy sells the service with charm - the standing figure faces the viewer head-on in soft lithographic colour.
What to notice
Christy's standing 'Navy girl' recasts the recruiting summons as glamour rather than command.
The years America learned to argue, sell, and dream in ink.
Provenance
- School
- The American Golden Age — the Poster before 1931 (United States)
- Designer
- Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952)
- Format
- Political poster
- Poster published
- United States Navy recruiting, 1917
- Source
- Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division · LCCN 92510150
Rights: CLEAR. Public domain — U.S. 95-year rule (published 1930 or earlier). Gated by the poster’s own publication year. Cleared by registry on 2026-07-18.
Format
The full-resolution, color-managed file — restored honestly, yours to print and keep.
Sized to protect print quality — this scan supports sizes up to 40x60" cleanly.
Size
$29.00
