Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is the national personification of the United States and sometimes more specifically of the American government, with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly white man with white hair and a goatee beard (with no moustache), and dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of flag of the United States—for example, typically a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white striped trousers. The first use of the term in literature is seen in an 1816 allegorical book, The Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq.
Earlier representative figures of the United States included such beings as "Brother Jonathan," used by Punch magazine. These were overtaken by Uncle Sam somewhere around the time of the Civil War. The female personification "Columbia" has seldom been seen since the 1920s. The well-known "recruitment" image of Uncle Sam was created by James Montgomery Flagg, an illustrator and portrait artist best known for commercial art. The image of Uncle Sam was shown publicly for the first time, according to some, in a picture by Flagg on the cover of the magazine Leslie's Weekly, on July 6, 1916, with the caption "What Are You Doing for Preparedness?"[1][2] More than four million copies of this image were printed between 1917 and 1918. The image also was used extensively during World War II.
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[edit] Origin
In the year 1812, a large quantity of provisions for the army were purchased at Troy, N.Y., by Elbert Anderson, a government contractor. The goods were inspected by two brothers, Ebenezer and Samuel Wilson. The last named was invariably known among the workmen as "Uncle Sam." The packages were marked E.A.-U.S. On being asked the meaning of these initials, a workman jokingly replied that he didn't know unless they meant Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam. So, the title became current among the workmen, soldiers, and people, and the United States Government is now known affectionately as "Uncle Sam" [3].
Uncle Sam became a useful, popular icon in cartoons, much like the John Bull character who represented the United Kingdom. John Bull and Uncle Sam have squared off in hundreds of political cartoons throughout the years.
The most famous image of the Uncle Sam persona was a World War I recruiting image that depicted a stern Sam pointing his finger at the viewer and declaring, "I want you." This was painted by artist James Montgomery Flagg in the year of 1917, just prior to US involvement in World War I.
[edit] Memorials
There are two memorials to Uncle Sam, both of which commemorate the life of Samuel Wilson. The first is near Riverfront Park in Troy, NY, which was where he lived. The second is in Arlington, MA, which is where he was born.
[edit] See also
- John Bull
- Lord Kitchener Wants You
- Sam (Olympic mascot)
- Uncle Sam, DC Comics character
- Uncle Sam Memorial Statue (Arlington, Massachusetts)
[edit] Bibliography
- Fenster, Bob. They Did Whaaaaat!?, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7407-3793-7
[edit] References
- ^ a b "The Most Famous Poster". American Treasures of the Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm015.html.
- ^ Who Created Uncle Sam?, Livescience.com: Life's Little Mysteries, accessed 7/2/08.
- ^ Abbott's Webster's Selected Dictionary for School and Commercial Use Compiled in 1923
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Uncle Sam |
- "The Most Famous Poster," U.S. Library of Congress
- Historical Uncle Sam pictures
- James Montgomery Flagg's 1917 "I Want You" Poster and other works (Internet Archive copy from 2004 October 28)
- What's the origin of Uncle Sam? The Straight Dope
- Images of a modern Uncle Sam promoting peace
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