He Did His Duty. Will You? Join for Active Service Land and Sea, U.S. Marines
A portrait of an admiral in full-dress uniform with medals sits beside a quotation praising the Marine Corps, signed 'George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy'. Below, the poster asks 'Will you?' and gives a New York recruiting address. The tell is testimonial: a famous officer's name and rank carry the claim that no finer military organization exists, with no further evidence offered.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1917
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- U.S. Marine Corps recruiting (New York)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Recruit
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- World War I
- Regime
- Wilson administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 4 (U.S. Food Administration), World War I Posters (NAID 512439), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
U.S. Marine Corps recruiting (New York). National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-29.
Text on the object
HE DID HIS DUTY "No finer military organi- zation than the Marine Corps exists in the world." George Dewey [signature] ADMIRAL OF THE NAVY WILL YOU? JOIN FOR ACTIVE SERVICE LAND AND SEA U.S.MARINES Apply At 24 East 23rd Street, New York, N. Y. [lower right corner: artist's initials, PW]
The quotation is hand-lettered; its line breaks and the hyphenation 'organi-zation' follow the sheet. A small mark at the lower right corner reads as the initials 'PW' (artist or lettering credit, unidentified).
