Title	Armia Polska we Francyi. Polish Army in France.
Additional Title(s)	Armia Polska we Francyi : centrum rekrutacyjne no. [blank] Polish army in France : recruiting centre no. [blank]
Variant title(s)	Polish army in France
Creator(s)	Benda, Wladyslaw T. (Wladyslaw Theodore), 1873-1948, artist.
Physical description	1 print on paper : lithograph, color ; sheet 92 x 69 cm.
Publishing Details	[United States : s.n., between 1917? and 1918]
Wall Label	In 1914, Poland did not exist as an independent state, and Poles around the world saw the war as an opportunity to re-establish their homeland. It was widely believed that the Allies were more sympathetic to the Polish cause, a belief confirmed by Tsar Nicholas II’s announcement in 1916 that an independent Poland was a goal of the war. In June of 1917, the French government authorized the formation of a Polish Army on French soil, the so-called “Polish Army in France” (also known as the “Blue Army” or “Haller’s Army”). Nearly 22,000 North American men of Polish descent joined the Blue Army. Most of the recruits were recent immigrants; Polish-Americans citizens eligible to fight in the US Army were prohibited from joining the Polish Army in France. The artist W. T. Benda came from his native Poland to New York City in the late 1890s and studied with Robert Henri and Edward Penfield. A highly successful magazine illustrator, Benda was deeply committed to the Polish cause and produced posters for both Poland and America during the World Wars. This poster was one of his most popular; it shows a heroic Polish soldier, gun in hand, and dressed in the grayish-blue French uniform. The Polish eagle is shown prominently on the flag and the soldier’s armband.
Summary	Poster showing a Polish soldier in profile, advancing gun in hand with the Polish flag behind him.
Notes	Artist's name at lower left of image . Exhibited in "Over Here: World War I Posters from around the World" held at the Boston Athenaeum, September 10, 2014 - January 31, 2015.
Local notes	Gift; Bartlett H. Hayes; July 1985; 1985.31 (am. no.399)
Country of origin	United_States_USA
Link to library catalog	http://catalog.bostonathenaeum.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=500046
Link to Exhibit Page	http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/over-here-wwi-posters-from-around-the-world
Provenance	Hayes, Bartlett H., 1904-1988, donor
Language	Text in Polish and English.
Subject	France. Armée. Légion polonaise--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.--World War, 1914-1918--Posters. World War, 1914-1918--United States--Posters. World War, 1914-1918--Participation, Polish American--Posters. World War, 1914-1918--Poland--Posters. Poland--History--German occupation, 1914-1918.
Genre terms	War posters--United States--1910-1920. Lithographs--United States--1910-1920. Chromolithographs--United States--1910-1920. Blank forms.
Location/Call number	Prints and Photographs Dept. (Appointment required) D 8A9ZU Usu.am.(no.399)
Source	8175.tif
Rights	Collection of the Boston Athenaeum. May not be reproduced or quoted without written permission. For more information, see http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/46