This is Ann…She drinks blood!

“Her full name is Anopheles Mosquito and she’s dying to meet you!”

This eye-catching persuasive poster represents a fascinating intersection of public health, military morale, and American pop culture history during World War II. The dangers of malaria are presented with text, images, and a thematic map that provide a simple but highly effective warning to troops stationed overseas. Of particular interest are the character illustrations of the mosquito, “Ann,” designed by Army Captain and noted cartoonist Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss). Geisel provided the iconic visual landscape while fellow children’s author Munro Leaf penned the accompanying text for an informational booklet that encouraged soldiers to take proper precautions.

Following the Japanese capture of the Dutch East Indies in 1942, the Allies were abruptly cut off from the world’s primary supply of quinine, making preventative education a matter of absolute military necessity. This map was published on the reverse side of the November 8, 1943 edition of the Overseas Newsmap. Prepared by the War Department’s Army Orientation Course, Newsmaps were issued on a weekly basis to all branches of the service in nearly all theaters of the conflict. They were a brilliant mix of journalism, cartography, and propaganda—hung in barracks, training centers, and public spaces to keep GIs informed and boost morale.