On display July 16, 2026, through April 18, 2027, in the Senator John Alario, Jr. Special Exhibition Hall

Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin and the Art of War explores the life and legacy of one of the most important American cartoonists of the 20th century. Tracing Bill Mauldin’s life and career from his early artistic development through World War II and into the postwar decades, this exhibit highlights his ability to convey the realities of war with honesty, humor, and sharp insight. 

During World War II, Mauldin was the soldier’s artist, refusing to sanitize the war or downplay the hardships that American servicemembers faced in combat. Mauldin is best known for his characters Willie and Joe, two weary, mud-caked infantrymen whose unapologetic observations captured life on the front lines in Europe.

Appearing in Stars and Stripes and other publications, Mauldin’s cartoons resonated deeply with enlisted men who recognized themselves in his work. At the same time, they proved controversial among senior officers who worried that Mauldin’s unvarnished portrayal of fatigue, frustration, and irreverence toward military formality would undermine and diminish morale. But Mauldin did not pander to “the brass.” He drew what he saw on the front lines himself, his cartoons acknowledging the worst parts of war while still affirming the resilience and humanity of the men at the front. Mauldin would win his first of two Pulitzer Prizes in 1945 for his wartime cartoons. 

Drawn to Combat features original drawings and sketches, wartime publications, correspondence, and personal materials that illuminate both Mauldin’s working process as well as his evolving views on war and American society. The exhibit also follows Mauldin beyond 1945, when his focus shifted to veterans’ issues, civil rights, and political commentary. This broader view situates Mauldin not only as a chronicler of World War II but also as an artist consistently engaged with the moral consequences of power and conflict.  

To complement the special exhibit, The National WWII Museum will incorporate objects from its own collection that reflect the environments Mauldin drew so frequently. These additions will include large-scale artifacts selected to help translate his two-dimensional work into physical space and bring the visitor into the forward areas that Mauldin knew firsthand, such as foxholes, makeshift command posts, and bombed-out buildings.  

By pairing original artwork with authentic objects, Drawn to Combat emphasizes the close relationship between observation and experience, inviting viewers to reconsider the war through a cartoonist’s lens and reflect on how one illustrator helped generations of Americans understand the war—one drawing at a time.

Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin and the Art of War has been organized by the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Support for the exhibit comes from the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins, Jr. Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Scott Petty, Jr.; and Joseph and Deborah Rucci.