Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Guardian of the Colors - U.S. Army, 1940 US poster: Army poster

Guardian of the Colors - U.S. Army

Army poster: four soldiers in helmets carry the Stars and Stripes and a blue Army flag against a cloudy sky, under the large heading 'U.S. ARMY' and the caption 'Guardian of the Colors'. There is no argument in words; the technique is faint, a transfer of the flag's standing to the soldier plus the glittering-generality 'Guardian'.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Glittering generalitiesTransfer
Date
1940
Period
Second World War
Made by
U.S. Army, art by Tom Woodburn
Region
North America
Country
United States
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
Military
Regime
Roosevelt Administration
Leader
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Audience
Mixed
Purpose
Recruit
Theme
War and the military
Event
World War II
Regime
Roosevelt administration
Leader
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
Rights
Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Army. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-143 (NAID 513591).

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

U·S·ARMY
[signature: Tom Woodburn]
GUARDIAN OF THE COLORS
[imprint: Spurgeon Tucker, New York, P-9-10-1-40-25M]

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