Original Item. Only One Available. This is a collection of eight original American WWI and WWII-era miniature propaganda posters, recruiting prints, newspaper supplements, and illustrated wartime advertisements, dating from 1917 through 1945. The group covers U.S. Marine Corps recruiting and Pacific combat, War Savings Stamps, Defense Bonds, the Seventh War Loan, and American industrial contributions to the war effort. Most pieces measure approximately 11 x 14 inches [27.9 x 35.6 cm], with individual variations in size.

The collection contains several particularly recognizable examples of American wartime graphic art, including the 1945 "7th War Loan - Now...All Together" poster based on the flag raising at Iwo Jima, Adolph Treidler's WWI "Help Stop This" War Savings design, and the colorful 1942 "You Buy 'Em, We'll Fly 'Em!" Defense Bonds poster.

The earliest pieces date from WWI. "Spirit of 1917 - U.S. Marines" is a full-color recruiting illustration showing four Marines advancing beneath the American flag and Marine Corps colors. Published as a supplement to The North American of Philadelphia on September 2, 1917, it retains its original reverse text, headed "U.S. Marines - Soldiers of the Sea." The text describes the Corps' historical service, overseas operations, and recruiting requirements, concluding with the address of the U.S. Marine Corps Publicity Bureau in New York City.

Also included is "Help Stop This - Buy W.S.S. & Keep Him Out of America," designed by Adolph Treidler for the National War Savings Committee. The illustration depicts an armed German soldier advancing through a ruined landscape, accompanied by an appeal to purchase War Savings Stamps. The original design dates to 1917, while this particular printing was distributed as a supplement to The North American on September 22, 1918. Its lower margin identifies the L. E. Waterman Company as a contributor to the National War Savings Committee and credits the W. F. Powers Company of New York.

Another recruiting piece bears the large heading "U.S. MARINES - SERVE WITH THE NAVY." The colorful illustration depicts Marines landing from a boat onto a tropical shoreline, with an American warship offshore. The lower portion carries recruiting information for the U.S. Post Office and Court House at Temple and Main Streets in Los Angeles, California. The printing notation identifies this as a late-1930s Marine Corps recruiting design.

Two WWII Marine Corps cartoons are also present. The first, "Tell It to the Marines," recalls the defense of Wake Island in December 1941. It shows the imposing figure of an American Marine armed with a bayonet behind a caricatured Japanese military figure, who declares that America can be invaded and peace dictated in Washington. The background bears the inscription "The Spirit of Wake Island Against Overwhelming Odds."

The second cartoon, titled "Heave Ho!", depicts a Marine throwing a Japanese soldier from the Solomon Islands. The Marine asks, "How Many Times Do I Have to Throw You Outa Here?" The scene refers to the fighting in the Solomons during 1942 and carries a printed Marine Corps date code from October of that year.

The "You Buy 'Em, We'll Fly 'Em!" poster is a 1942 U.S. Government Printing Office production promoting Defense Bonds and Stamps. Illustrated by Fred Wilkinsons, it depicts a smiling American Army pilot giving a thumbs-up from his cockpit, surrounded by military aircraft. Its lower section carries the additional slogan "The More Bonds You Buy - The More Planes Will Fly."

One of the most historically significant designs in the group is the official U.S. Treasury "7th War Loan - Now...All Together" poster of 1945. Created by artist C. C. Beall from Joe Rosenthal's Associated Press photograph of the second American flag raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, it presents the famous scene in dramatic color. The lower margin retains the official Treasury identification and War Finance Division designation WFD 11.

Completing the collection is an illustrated double-sided WWII commercial advertising sheet. One side carries an Oldsmobile Division of General Motors advertisement titled "Tank-Eating Tiger!", dominated by the distinctive black panther insignia of the U.S. Army Tank Destroyer Forces. The advertisement promotes Oldsmobile's contributions to military ordnance production and encourages the purchase of War Bonds. The reverse is a General Electric advertisement titled "Night Patrol," depicting an American military aircraft illuminating a surfaced submarine. It promotes G-E Mazda lamps and includes a wartime message encouraging the conservation of electricity and resources.

The collection remains in good overall condition, showing expected paper toning, scattered staining, creasing, and edge wear from age and storage. The majority of the printed designs retain strong color and clearly legible lettering. The "Help Stop This" poster has a substantial loss at the upper-right corner, while the Oldsmobile/General Electric advertisement has a noticeable section missing along one edge. The Seventh War Loan poster shows small tears and losses along its upper border. The black-and-white Marine Corps cartoons have localized staining and edge wear, particularly around their lower margins. The sheets remain suitable for careful handling and display, with the more fragile edges deserving additional care.

Historical Context

American military propaganda underwent considerable development between the First and Second World Wars, as government agencies and military organizations expanded their use of illustrated posters, newspapers, and commercial advertising. Recruiting campaigns encouraged enlistment, while War Savings and bond programs asked civilians to finance military operations. Graphic artists were commissioned to produce bold, easily understood compositions that could be reproduced in large numbers and distributed through public buildings, businesses, newspapers, and military recruiting offices.

During WWI, the Marine Corps was undergoing a major expansion following American entry into the war in April 1917. Marines had already developed an extensive record of overseas service, particularly through naval expeditions and interventions in the Caribbean, Central America, and the Pacific. Recruiting material emphasized this history, presenting the Corps as an experienced expeditionary force whose personnel could operate both at sea and ashore.

The "Spirit of 1917" print reflects this recruiting effort. Its accompanying text recounts earlier Marine operations, including service during the Barbary Wars, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and the Boxer Rebellion. The publication appeared during the mobilization that preceded the deployment of American Marines to the Western Front, where the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments would serve in the 4th Marine Brigade of the Army's 2nd Division.

The WWI War Savings campaign addressed the enormous financial demands of modern industrial warfare. The United States Treasury promoted War Savings Certificates and Thrift Stamps as relatively affordable means for civilians to contribute to government borrowing. Purchasing stamps became a widely encouraged patriotic activity, involving families, schoolchildren, workplaces, and local communities.

Adolph Treidler's "Help Stop This" design belonged to this campaign. Its threatening portrayal of a German soldier appealed directly to fears of invasion and destruction, drawing upon the wartime image of German forces as a danger to civilian populations. Such imagery formed part of the wider American effort to strengthen public support for military spending and continued participation in the European war.

During WWII, Marine Corps publicity increasingly drew upon the fighting in the Pacific. The defense of Wake Island in December 1941 became one of the earliest widely celebrated episodes of American resistance following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Marines of the 1st Defense Battalion and Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-211, together with Navy personnel and civilians, resisted Japanese attacks before the island was captured on December 23, 1941. The defenders' resistance received considerable attention in the United States, particularly during a period marked by Japanese advances across the Pacific.

The "Tell It to the Marines" cartoon draws upon this event and the determination associated with Wake Island's defenders. The Japanese figure's boast about invading America contrasts with the armed Marine standing behind him, delivering a straightforward message of American resolve during the opening months of the Pacific war.

The "Heave Ho!" cartoon refers to the Solomon Islands campaign, which began with American landings on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and nearby islands on August 7, 1942. The operation marked the beginning of a sustained Allied offensive against Japanese positions in the South Pacific. Marines of the 1st Marine Division initially carried much of the fighting ashore, while American and Japanese naval forces contested control of the surrounding waters.

The campaign continued into February 1943 and involved repeated Japanese attempts to reinforce and retake Guadalcanal. The October 1942 date on the cartoon places its production during the campaign itself, when the outcome remained undecided. Its exaggerated illustration of a Marine ejecting an enemy soldier from the Solomons reflects the aggressive tone of wartime morale and publicity material.

At home, the Treasury's Defense Bond and Stamp campaigns encouraged civilians to support the expansion of American military production. Following American entry into WWII, the government's financing program grew into a succession of major War Loan drives. Posters connected individual purchases with the weapons and equipment required by American servicemen.

The 1942 "You Buy 'Em, We'll Fly 'Em!" design directly links bond purchases to military aviation. Aircraft production was a major American industrial priority, and the Army Air Forces expanded enormously during the war. The poster's pilot and accompanying aircraft formations gave civilians a recognizable representation of the military equipment their savings could help finance.

By 1945, American war-bond publicity had acquired one of its most enduring images. On February 23, 1945, Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal photographed six Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The photograph rapidly became one of the best-known images of the war, appearing in newspapers throughout the United States.

Artist Cecil Calvert Beall adapted Rosenthal's photograph for the Seventh War Loan poster, "Now...All Together." The campaign began in May 1945, after Germany's surrender, while American forces continued fighting Japan. The Treasury used the image to encourage further public investment in the war effort, drawing upon the flag raising's immediate national recognition and the heavy American casualties suffered during the Iwo Jima campaign. The Seventh War Loan raised approximately $26 billion, considerably exceeding its original $14 billion goal.

The Oldsmobile and General Electric advertisement represents the extensive involvement of American private industry in the war effort. General Motors converted much of its manufacturing capacity to military production, supplying equipment and components for the armed forces. Oldsmobile became involved in ordnance production, including cannon and artillery ammunition, and used its advertising to emphasize this contribution.

The black panther emblem featured in the Oldsmobile advertisement belonged to the U.S. Army Tank Destroyer Forces, established as a separate combat arm within the Army in late 1941. Tank destroyer units were organized to counter enemy armored formations through mobile anti-tank firepower. Their distinctive insignia, showing a black panther crushing a tank in its jaws, became a recognizable wartime military symbol.

General Electric likewise contributed extensively to American wartime manufacturing, including electrical equipment, aviation components, and military technology. Its "Night Patrol" advertisement emphasizes the use of illumination during maritime patrol operations, while encouraging consumers to conserve electrical resources and support the war through bond purchases. It also illustrates the continuation of commercial brand advertising during the war, when companies promoted their military contributions alongside their civilian products.