Symbol of Life

During WWII, the need for American troops superceded the traditional draft conscripts. Congress passed special legislation to allow women to serve in four units: the Women's Army Corps (WAC), the Navy Women's Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, and the Coast Guard Women Reserves (SPARS). The US Army Nurse Corps, featured in this poster, is unique in that it dates back to 1901- well before these WWII units.

This photographic poster shows the services of the US Army Nurse Corps. Founded in 1901, with roots dating back even further to the Revolutionary War, the US Army Nurse Corps is one of the older units of the American military. Excluded from the front lines, US Army nurses were required to be unmarried and without children. Since the program requires every participant to be a registered nurse, it was highly successful. In WWII, 96% of injured servicemen who made it to a field hospital survived their injuries.

Lejaren Hiller (1880 - 1969) was an American illustrator and photographer. John Hiller from Wisconsin became Lejaren Hiller upon arrival to NYC in the 1920s. Hiller had a varied career, illustrating for literary magazines, designing pulp novel covers and eventually fully embracing photography. That particular skill is on display in this poster; he ended his career as a jazz documentarian in NYC.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster has been archivally backed onto linen and is in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.