A stocky bulldog in a Marine helmet, eyes red and teeth bared, bounds across the sheet. Ahead of him a long black dachshund in a spiked German helmet runs for its life. The rest of the bright orange poster is lettering, drawn by hand in big rounded capitals: Teufel Hunden, German Nickname for U.S. Marines. Devil Dog Recruiting Station.
What the poster shows
Charles Buckles Falls drew the poster in 1918. It is a cartoon, and a clever one: the American bulldog against the German dachshund, the eagle, globe and anchor on the bulldog’s helmet against the Pickelhaube on the dachshund. The lettering, drawn by Falls himself, is as much a part of the design as the dogs. At the foot, a local address, Sixth & Main Streets, shows where this copy was meant to hang.
The Devil Dog legend
Marine Corps tradition says German soldiers called the Marines Teufelshunde, devil dogs, after the fierce fighting at Belleau Wood in June 1918. But the story appeared in American newspapers in April 1918, weeks before Belleau Wood, in an unsigned wire report. Marine Corps historians have since said there is no proof the name came from German troops, and the poster’s German, Teufel Hunden, is not quite right either. Whatever its origin, the name stuck, and the bulldog became the Corps’ mascot.
Charles Buckles Falls
Falls was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1874, worked as a sketch artist for the Chicago Tribune, and moved to New York around 1900. He became a celebrated illustrator, letterer and designer. His First World War poster Books Wanted, drawn in less than a day, is one of the best known of the war, and his woodcut ABC Book of 1923 is a classic of children’s illustration. He died in New York in 1960.
The restored edition
Our edition was restored from an original 1918 print: the paper and colours cleaned, and creases, stains and wear removed, with the lettering and Falls’ monogram kept. We don’t have a usable scan of this print before restoration, so there is no before and after comparison.
The restored poster is available as a paper print in three sizes or framed in black, white or natural wood, printed to order in the USA.
Frequently asked questions
Who drew the Teufel Hunden poster?
Charles Buckles Falls (1874 to 1960), the New York illustrator and letterer also known for the Books Wanted poster and his ABC Book.
When was it made?
In 1918, during the First World War.
Did the Germans really call Marines devil dogs?
That is the Marine Corps legend, linked to Belleau Wood in June 1918. But the story was printed in American newspapers in April 1918, before the battle, and historians say there is no proof it came from German troops.
Why a bulldog and a dachshund?
The bulldog stands for the U.S. Marines and the dachshund, in a spiked helmet, for Germany. The bulldog later became the Marine Corps mascot.
How big is the restored print?
Our restored edition is available as a paper print up to 23.4 x 33.1 inches, or framed up to 23 x 33 inches, printed to order in the USA.