Discover how these 21 propaganda masterpieces left their mark on history and continue to resonate today.
“I Want You” by James Montgomery Flagg, 1940, to encourage enlistment.
Illustrated by Norman Rockwell, these two posters were designed to draw women into helping with the war effort, the second featuring Rosie the Riveter. After illustrating propaganda for many years, he eventually turned to supporting civil rights efforts.
This third famous Norman Rockwell from 1943 promotes free speech.
And war bonds.
Designed to encourage Russian workers to rise up against imperialism, these posters illustrated by Dimitri Moor spanned over a decade from the 1920s to the 1930s.
Used in the presidential elections of 1932, the poster reads, “Our Last Hope: Hitler.” It was drawn by Hans Schweitzer, who would go on to spearhead German WWII military propaganda.
“The guarantee of German military strength!”
Alerting the public to possible German spies during World War II.
The red represents the Russian revolution, and communists piercing the old ruling class. Made by El Lissitzky.
Years later he helped encourage Russian war efforts against Germany.
The British counterpart to the famous American “We Can Do It” poster, encouraging women to join the war efforts. Illustrated by Phillip Zec.
Pro Benito Mussolini poster in Italy.
Chinese poster negatively depicting American general General MacArthur in Korea, 1950.
China promoted mass inoculations, believing that the United States were going to use bacterial weapons against them.
This poster encourages Chinese women to join the labor force, Illustrated by Ning Hao, 1954.
This 1968 poster of Argentine marxist Che Guevara by Jim Fitzpatrick became the face of the anti-Vietnam war protests, Paris student protests, and continues to be used by guerrilla groups in Columbia, Mexico and more.
Micah Ian Wright used the model of old World War II posters to criticize the Iraq invasion in 2003.
Recent poster opposing net neutrality.