White Rats

Two years before creating one of the most famous posters of all time, as the United States entered Word War I (Uncle Sam's "I Want YOU! For U.S. Army") 37 year-old artist James Montgomery Flagg designed the cover of this souvenir program. The occasion was the March 16, 1915 Masque Ball of the White Rats Actors' Union of America, at the Terrace Garden in New York, and the 82-page program is filled with photos, drawings, and advertisements. Artist Flagg numbered among his friends many of the most famous theatre-folk of the day, and was a member of New York's legendary Players Club. Flagg contributed to silent films in the 19-teens as an actor, screenwriter, and director.