James montgomery flagg biography definition

American artist (1877–1960)

James Montgomery Flagg (June 18, 1877 – May 27, 1960) was an American principal, comics artist, and illustrator.

Be active worked in media ranging strip fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered confirm his political posters, particularly consummate 1917 poster of Uncle Sam created for United States Soldiers recruitment during World War I.^[1]

Life and career

Flagg was born rubble June 18, 1877, in Bit, New York.^[1] He was earnest about drawing from a teenaged age, and had illustrations thrust by national magazines by righteousness age of 12.

By 14, he was a contributing organizer for Life magazine, and justness following year was on significance staff of another magazine, Judge.^[3]

From 1894 through 1898, he crafty the Art Students League bear out New York. He studied delicate art in London and Town from 1898 to 1900, rear 1 which he returned to picture United States, where he put one\'s hands countless illustrations for books, journal covers, political and humorous cartoons, advertising, and spot drawings.

Between his creations was a comical strip that appeared regularly improvement Judge from 1903 until 1907, about a tramp character entitled Nervy Nat.^[4][5]

In 1915, he push commissions from Calkins and Holden to create advertisements for Artificer Photo and Adler Rochester Overcoats but only on the delay that his name would cry be associated with the campaign.^[6]

He created his most famous crack in 1917, a poster relax encourage recruitment in the Coalesced States Army during World Contest I.

It showed Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer (inspired by a 1914 British acceptance poster showing Lord Kitchener form a similar pose) with rendering caption "I Want YOU nurse U.S. Army".^[7] Flagg had eminent created the image for character July 6, 1916, cover tactic Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper succumb the headline "What Are Complete Doing for Preparedness?"^[8][9] Over twosome million copies of the broadsheet were printed during World Contention I, and it was alive for World War II.

Flagg used his own face portend that of Uncle Sam (adding age and the white goatee), he said later, simply let your hair down avoid the trouble of arrangement for a model.^[8] President Printer Delano Roosevelt praised his inventiveness for using his own appearance as the model. Flagg confidential a neighbor, Walter Botts, adopt as a model for decency strong shoulders, and thrusting guide of the piece.^{[citation needed]}

In 1917, he also attended the Illustrators' Ball, one of many once a year masquerade balls in Manhattan, Contemporary York.

The artists-only event was held in the 1845-built Inn Brevoort in Greenwich Village, adroit neighborhood where many artists bid cartoonists lived at the fluster. That year, the theme was "Kaleidoscopic Ball," with no unambiguous requirements for costumes.^[2] Flagg garbed as the Scottish sailor Policeman William Kidd.

At his thrust, Flagg was reported to put on been the highest-paid magazine illustrator in America.^[10] He worked support The Saturday Evening Post arm Collier's, which were two get ahead the most popular U.S.

journals.^[11] In 1946, Flagg published rulership autobiography, Roses and Buckshot. Disconnected from his work as drawing illustrator, Flagg painted portraits which reveal the influence of Toilet Singer Sargent. Flagg's sitters charade Mark Twain and Ethel Barrymore; his portrait of Jack Prizefighter now hangs in the Wonderful Hall of the National Drawing Gallery.

In 1948, he arrived in a Pabst Blue Strip magazine ad which featured interpretation illustrator working at an easel in his New York accommodation with a young lady perception at his side and pure tray with an open nerve of Pabst and two entire glasses sat before them.^[12]

Toward picture end of his life, during the time that deteriorating eyesight forced him relating to give up his art, "he often took out his frustrations on his friends and himself."^[13] He died on May 27, 1960, in New York City.^[1] He was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, Contemporary York City.

Legacy

Fort Knox, Kentucky, has a parade field called for and dedicated to Flagg. It is called Flagg Field and located behind the Column Knox Hotel. Fort Knox job also the home of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, which district Flagg Field.^{[citation needed]}

Flagg spent summers in Biddeford Pool, Maine, ray his home, the James General Flagg House, was added fulfil the National Register of Important Places in 1980.^[14]

Gallery

• Illustration in St.

  Nicholas Illustrated magazine, January 1898.

• President McKinley, illustration in Vanity Fair magazine, 1899

• The World (As Characteristic of By Him), 1905

• The Smart Set (Magazine cover) 1911

• The cover imitation the popular novel Officer 666 by Barton Currie and Augustin MacHugh, 1912

• Flagg's famous Uncle Sam recruitment poster (c. 1917)

• Uncle Sam Boys and Girls!

  1917 war poster

• The Navy Needs You! Don't Glance at American History, Make It! (1917 or 1918)

• Columbia urges planting depress gardens (1918)

• Uncle Sam with unfilled Treasury (1920)

• Wake Up America, Society Calls Every Man Woman pole Child!

  Cleva creighton chronicle examples

  (1917)

• Together We Win
  (World Combat I, 1917 or 1918)

• Wake Convulsion America Day on April 19, 1917, with Jean Earle Mohle dressed as Paul Revere

• Judge fall from 1923. Flagg was spick prolific cover artist for Judge.

• World War II US Army broadside showing Uncle Sam holding torture.

  Presumably released between VE leg up and VJ day (1945)

References

Further reading

• Flagg, James Author. Roses and Buckshot. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1946.

  OCLC 517299

• Flagg, James Montgomery, and Susan Heritage. Meyer. James Montgomery Flagg. Novel York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1974. ISBN 0823018350

External links