Judge — July 21, 1917 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This July 1917 Judge cover depicts a nurse wearing a Red Cross headpiece and veil, positioned before the American flag. The artwork is credited to James Montgomery Flagg, the era's most prominent patriotic illustrator. The caption "Backed by Old Glory" celebrates American nurses, likely referencing those serving in World War I (America entered in April 1917). The image conflates nursing with patriotic duty—the nurse becomes a symbol of American moral strength and humanitarian values supporting the war effort. The composition deliberately frames the nurse as protected by and aligned with national authority. This represents typical 1917 propaganda messaging: presenting war participation as morally righteous and American institutions (medical care, feminine virtue, national pride) as unified in the cause. The satire magazine here appears to be earnestly promoting patriotic sentiment rather than critiquing it.