Flagg was already a successful and prolific illustrator by the time World War I started, but this poster was to become "his greatest public triumph." Using himself as the model, his "rendering was originally used on a Leslie's Magazine cover in late 1916, and was quickly adopted by the Army when the war broke out. All told nearly 5 million were printed in both world wars” (Theofiles, p. 9). This version has text promoting the U.S. Army Reserve.
literature: (both var): Flagg, p. 41; PAI-XC, 76