American Red Cross WWI Recruitment Poster

Women were not only used to inspire men into service for the war effort but were also directly targeted for recruitment to women-specific jobs like this poster calling for nurses in the Red Cross. The If I Fail, He Dies poster created by Rev. S.A. Iciek and illustrated by Arthur McCoy c. 1918 shows a nurse attending to a wounded soldier reaching out towards a nurse seated behind a desk. The dramatic background of soldiers charging with the American flag inspires patriotism and gives a sense of what the war actually looks like, in contrast to many other propaganda examples that are idealized or avoid showing violence to encourage men to enlist. It also works on the viewer's emotions as you realize that many of the men in the background will end up wounded like the man in the nurse's arms.