James Montgomery Flagg is best remembered as the creator of the most famous recruiting poster of all time, the commanding figure of Uncle Sam pointing his finger and declaring, "I Want You!" Effective as this poster was in two world wars, and as frequently as it has been adapted or parodied since, it represents only a minuscule portion of Flagg's enormous output and shows only one aspect of his versatility as an artist. A painter and prolific illustrator, as well as a poster artist, Flagg was also a well-known bon vivant and intimate of celebrities. His outspokenness and flair for publicity kept him in the limelight, and the eagerness with which he embraced and recorded the changing interests of the times makes him one of the great chroniclers of early-twentieth-century America.

James Montgomery Flagg was born on 18 June 1877 in Pelham Manor, New York, and spent most of his...