Howard Chandler Christy

Howard Chandler Christy was a prolific artist, contributing realistic illustrations to magazines such as Scribner’s and Harper’s, and patriotic posters for use by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. You would probably recognize his famous recruiting poster showing a young lady in a naval uniform with the caption: “Gee!! I Wish I Were a Man. I’d Join the Navy.” The 1911 painting is the first of a series of eight “Christy Girl” paintings that suggest not only who the idealized American heroic woman was but also what American beauty was. The eight include: Pocahontas, the Puritan Girl, the Colonial Girl, the Revolutionary Girl, the Pioneer Girl, the Dixie Girl, the Western Girl, and the American Girl. Each one depicts a beautiful, independent American woman.