Show THE EVOLUTION of f UNCLES M i j jy z mil t 1 lip 3 R r r L' L 3 rr tn f fr r r LA F. F 9 b P P I t J t L J r Y I w wr h 5 l N a I S- S 1 1 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON WATSONS S MOST Americans Americana know Uncle SamIs Sam Samis is the personification of ot the United States just as John Bullis Dull Bull Is la the personification of ot Eng Eng- land Most Americans too know that there was wal an original Uncle Sam a certain Samuel Wilton prominent during the War of ot 1812 But Dut there Is much dispute about some of ot the details details details de de- tails of ot his hll care career career r and there is II ismore more than one version of ot the story linking him to the popular nickname of ot the symbol of our country Not only are the facts tact I of ot this original Uncle Sams Sam's life lite subjects for tor dispute but there Is even evena a dispute over the date of ot his hll death and the place of ot his burial Both Doth New York and Indiana claim the latter honor and monuments have been over graves In each state one In Troy N. N Y V. and the other In a cemetery near Merriam Ind each purporting to be the grave of ot the original original inal Uncle Sam Although this Samuel Wilson gave to our national national na na- vocabulary the term terra Uncle Sam It has baa been the artists and cartoonists of ot the past century century cen cen- tUI tury who have made Uncle Sam Slam a familiar figure to all of us The first known figure of ot the United States Statu In cartoon from which the present figure Uncle Sam has probably grown appeared In an English paper about 18 1845 It was wai referred to as al Brother Jonathan Jonathon the then common designation e of t the United States Statu in to England It may have buD beep merely a close cloe relative of ot Uncle Sam Saw In any case cue It represents Figure 3 a young man of decidedly flippant tendencies dressed In the high bat hat tall coat coot and tight trousers of ot the day gayly thumbing his hla nose at the Spectators The original American cartoon of of Uncle Sam was published March 13 1852 In the the New York Lantern a C comic weekly of the time It was drawn by by F. F Hell Bellow ow In It Figure 1 is pictured an amused young oung man wearing the high beaver lr hat bat tight trousers low cut waistcoat high collar col lar and bow tie In which he Is still Mill portrayed It may safely be said sold that Mellow In 1852 was 89 the father of Uncle Sam though his motherhood has been shrouded In the tales of an un earlier year jear Bellows Bellow's Uncle Sam however howe was still a young roun man nan not having hating reached the stature and perfection perfection tion of his hll later years It was that great grat American American Ameri Ameri- can all cartoonist Thomas Nast however who matured ma mo Uncle Sam and gave him to the world as aI we l now know him He lie was to go through a considerable considerable con on evolution e before Mr Nast took him In hand An English cartoon of ot about 1355 1855 shows another er phase of his development de a It still III young oung man manof manof manof of decidedly hostile Intentions l Figure 2 wearIng wear wear- Ing the thc broad-brimmed broad felt hat of our southern planters planter carrying the lash of ot the sla slave driver er In lila his pocket wearing a long tailed long tolled coat coot and tight trousers putting up his fist flat at the conventional and amused John JohR Bull During the Civil war period another s cartoon shows Uncle Sam still a beardless young man man a IlS as a showman wear year i The Th twelve cartoons shown above provided by courtesy of the Bobb Merrill company publish ers Its of John Erskines Erskine's Uncle Uriel Sam Sam Sam-In In the Eyes of His Hla Family were wert selected from American and foreign papers paper over a period of more than 50 SO years year and Illustrate the evolution of th the cartoon figure Uncle Sam and tome some of the various ways In which different artists artist have thought of him 1 I. first known example of the use Ule of the ca cartoon car carteen toon teen figure of Uncle Sam In the United State States published March 13 1852 In the New York Lantern Lan Lan- tern drawn by F F. F Bellow 2 3 3 4 4 Early examples of Uncle Sam published abroad more more than 75 years year ago 5 6 5 Example by Oscar Olear Cesare Cesare New York Evening Evening Eve Eve- ning Post Pott published during the the World war 6 e. Example by Rollin Kirby New York World published during the war 7 Example by J. J H. H Cassel New York World published during the war 8 Example by Charles Dana Gibson Gibson published In Life during the war 0 II Spanish cartoon during the Spanish Amerl can war 10 German Grman cartoon during the Spanish Amerl Amerl can war 11 II English cartoon just after the World war 12 Italian during th the war t Ing lag a high beaver hat tight trousers and long long- tailed coat Figure U 4 Thomas Nast added to the young oung man the th chin whiskers that have been variously trimmed and combed b by the artists of the past post C ro 50 0 years ears to Indicate indiCate Indi cate everything from a country countr bumpkin to a benevolent despot Nast also allo added the familiar tarred starred vest and striped coat and put stars Itar on the hat hot Nast made Uncle Sam a more real person per person son than he trod had ever been before It Is said that Nast took his hla Inspiration of Uncle Sam from the character of Abraham Lincoln Lin coin coln drawing Into his some BOme of the benevolence ne kindly humor and tolerance that characterized Lincoln American cartoonists have since followed the lead of Nast generally giving gl their figures a u dignity and aud an nn impressiveness In keeping with the growth of American destiny The Spanish American war produced a n great flood of Uncle Sam cartoons Most of them were unfriendly with the single Ingle exception of England who maintained an on attitude as Illustrated b by her cartoonists of amused expectancy somewhat troubled by the growing power of her younger brother across ucross the seas sens but hut generally friendly Naturally the Spall Spanish Ish cartoons of the period were the most roost vindictive One Figure 9 0 Is la t typical A German cartoon of the same period Is far for from frolD flattering Though Through the costume Is faithfully portrayed the figure is that of ot a typical lit Hebrew peddler engaged In selling the fruits of Iris his victory vic tor tory over o Spain In the form torm of ot doves es Figure 10 A of ot Uncle UnciA Sam Sara common abroad In recent years ears Is that of a n very much bloated exceedingly exceedingly ex prosperous and none too cultured gen An excellent example of this type appeared appeared ap ap- In Ital Italy just after the last war Figure 12 showing a vast Uncle Sam fat tat and plastered with L 1 money supporting the tottering figures of ot England England Eng Eng- land France and Italy During the wa war t cartoonists of great grent ability gave j to the nation example after example of the figure Uncle Sam In which the element of car caricature lea tore I had hod been submerged and the sense of a national national 1 spirit personified though the precise featuring of ot the figure ligure differed d with the differing technique of ot the artists One of the most distinguished of ot these drawings appeared In Life drawn by Charles Dana Dona Gibson the recognized dean of ot American Illustrators Figure Fig Figure ure 8 Uncle Sam Is here portrayed as 89 a fine line elderly man Dlan of deep sympathy supporting and congratulating a mother whose son Bon Is going to the colors The face Is patriarchal the features benign Another great American cartoonist Oscar Cesare Csare drawing for the New ew York Evening Figure II 5 shows an exceedingly dominant old gentleman In the act of offering the nation the choice between the shackles of autocracy and a aLibert Liberty Libert bond J. J U. U Cossel Cassel In the New York World shows an aD equally dominant Uncle Sam Ina ina in ina a somewhat different mood making a kindly selection selection tion of the man power for the war through the selective draft Figure 7 One of ot the most mot forceful of the American cartoonists car cartoonists Rollin Kirby drawing for tor the New York World has hl frequently portrayed Uncle Sam HI Ills figures splendid in technique may be taken b by many a III as the spirit of ot America the they like to consider con coo sider elder a as aa most mOlt definitely our ur own physically powerful powerful pow pow- erful determined and forceful of expression llon I standing square four against the encroachments and Infringements of ot hurtful Influences Such an Uncle Sam Figure G 0 6 Is II shown hown ready rendy to throw bodily from the country the undesirable influences Influence contributing to lawlessness la Although the cartoonists have given u us our conception conception con con- of Uncle Sam as a n national symbol It has baa been left to a famous American novelist no to por pore tray him as RS a man That novelist no Is John whose book Uncle Sam Sam Sam-In In the I Eyes es of Ills Family Fam Fam- ily was published by the Bobbs Merrill company recently It w was as Ingenious an on Idea that the novelist nov novo rust list had Recalling the familiar cartoons of Uncle SaUl Sans Mr Erskine states his hll main purpose In a foreword to his book as follows I 1 have ho long believed ed cd that this figure might be filled out Into a 11 complete character endow endowed ed with an Inner aswell aswell as aswell well as a public character So Su he set about to tell a story that would be he more than Ihan Just a novel no about a mythical character It would be a blog raphy of a national temperament As a result Americans and our foreign cousins have lm for the first time In their lives lI an opportune ity Uy to know what Uncle Sam thinks about how he would act under given ghen circumstances bow how he lives Ilves who his wife Is what hat domestic troubles be had and has the nature of his hll business his attitude atti- atti tude toward his family who must of ot course be he the nations about us and their people Renders or of his book may mayor or may not agree ogree with w the novelist perhaps as aJ to his hll Interpretation of ot this famous character But Hut at least the Id Idea a of ot making hint him the hero of a novel Is la an aD interesting step stel In to the evolution e of Uncle Sam ClIP 8 II by r Vales |