Visual intertextuality in british and american World War I recruitment poster designs

Propaganda seeks to foster patriotic sentiment during wartime while shaping public perceptions of the enemy. This study examines how visual intertextuality operates in World War I recruitment posters, focusing on designs intended to encourage enlistment. Using an intertextual analytical framework, it identifies strategies such as binary juxtaposition, visual quoting, pairing, framing the word, and anchoring the image. The sample consists exclusively of posters produced by British and American authors and designers, thus reflecting an Anglo-Saxon perspective. The findings show that these posters functioned as complex semiotic tools, mobilizing emotional and ideological responses as part of broader persuasive efforts.