The 1917 U.S. Army recruitment poster showing Uncle Sam pointing directly at viewers used the phrase “I Want You.”
Illustrator James Montgomery Flagg created the image for U.S. military recruitment during World War I. It adapted an earlier British recruitment poster featuring Lord Kitchener, whose pointing pose and direct wording had already become recognizable. Flagg replaced Kitchener with a stern, white-bearded Uncle Sam and added the message “I Want You for U.S. Army.”
The poster used direct address to turn a national military appeal into a personal request. Its bold typography, limited colors, and large central figure made it easy to recognize from a distance. Millions of copies were printed and distributed in the United States.
The wording is often remembered as the entire title, although the full poster included “for U.S. Army” and a recruitment-office direction. Uncle Sam himself is older than the poster, but this image became his most famous modern advertising representation.