Skip to main content
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
McClelland Barclay
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

McClelland Barclay

American illustrator, 1891 - 1943
Place of BirthSt. Louis, Missouri
Place of Death(At Sea), Solomon Islands
McClelland Barclay designed posters and naval camouflage during World War I. After the war, he became a leading magazine illustrator and painted poster art for Hollywood studios. Barclay enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1938. He reported for active duty in October 1940 and created some of the Navy’s most memorable recruiting posters. In 1943, Barclay volunteered to be a combat artist. On July 18, 1943, he died when his ship was torpedoed near the Solomon Islands.