Anyone who has ever heard of America has at least once encountered the image of a thin old man whom Americans lovingly call “Uncle Sam.”
This stern old man has become the most recognizable symbol of the United States, ranking alongside the Statue of Liberty and hamburgers and cola.
Absolutely any American knows this fancy dressed man, but do they know where this image came from?
Origin theories
There are several theories about the origin of this thin, stern grandfather.
Butcher of Troy
September 13, 1766 In Massachusetts, which at that time was called Arlington, Samuel Wilson was born, who became a symbol of the United States. He was an ordinary meat producer who donated meat to the fledgling US Army during the war with the British.
Kegs of jerky were marked with U.S. markings. which stood for “United States.” For fun, the soldiers deciphered it as "Uncle Sam", which translates to “Uncle Sam.” In some cases, the military even called these supplies “Uncle Sam's Grub.”
Markings
This theory is identical to the story of Sam the Butcher, but has a slightly different acronym. There are stories that some barrels were marked not only as “U.S.”, but also “USAM”, which immediately reads like “U Sam”, which gave rise to the image
The inventions of enemies
This theory used Uncle Sam for ridicule among the enemies of the USA. According to his opponents, he perfectly reflected the arrogance and arrogance that, in their opinion, perfectly defined the character of the American people.
American regiment name
According to this version, Uncle Sam was born from the acronym USLD (United States Light Dragons). When people asked what this abbreviation meant, the military simply answered: “Uncle Sam’s Lazy Dogs.”
Canned meat
According to this theory, Sam began producing canned food after the end of the war. In the winter of 1812, a tour was held at the plant, during which Daniel D. Tompkins, then governor of New York, asked the question of how the letters “EAUS” were deciphered. The workers responded that “EA” is Company name, which supplies canned goods, and “US” is Uncle Sam.
This was so memorable to the governor that he told it to a local newspaper called the Gazette and General Advertiser. This is how the image of “Uncle Sam” appeared.
When did Uncle Sam appear?
In the 60s of the 19th century, thanks to famous cartoonist Thomas Nast, Uncle Sam became especially popular. He gave him a gray goatee and a fancy American flag suit. Through the efforts of an artist named James Montgomery Fleg, Uncle Sam acquired the appearance in which it has survived to this day.
He got a blue jacket, a fancy top hat and looked straight into the reader's eyes with his menacing gaze. All First world war he looked at the soldiers from a propaganda poster with the words “I want you for U.S.” army” and was actively used in the conscription campaign.
Further, this image was used more than once on various recruitment leaflets, recruitment campaigns and simply commercial projects. In 1961, the US government legally recognized Samuel Wilson as the creator of the American symbol of the nation.
Creator of the famous Uncle Sam died in 1854, living to the age of 88, and was buried in Troy, next to his beloved wife. Troy is now officially considered the “Home of Uncle Sam.”
Uncle Sam's pose is not original. In 1914 A leaflet appeared in Britain in which Lord Kitchener called on people to join the British army. Later, “finger posters” began to be used in all countries of the world, most often for propaganda purposes.
For example, a Soviet propaganda poster "Are you among the volunteers?", created in 1920 and calling on people to enroll in the Red Army. Earlier, in 1919, a similar poster was published by white movement entitled “Why aren’t you in the army,” in which a White Guard with an outstretched finger calls for joining the ranks of the Whites.
Similar posters can be found in other countries. Such posters are significantly increased psychological pressure, forcing people to go to war. Later, after the war, Sam began to be used for commercial purposes.
This old man appeared on many counters and signs, inviting people to buy the goods that the company provided. This was beneficial to sellers, since Sam was extremely popular and using it on their products significantly increased sales.
Today Uncle Sam is America's national symbol, famous all over the world. His image is still used today for propaganda and commercial purposes not only in America, but throughout the world. He is undoubtedly one of the most popular images in the world, truly showing the character of the American people.
A little over 200 years ago, on September 7, 1813, an angry article appeared in a newspaper in a provincial city with the proud name of Troy: “This disapproving nickname, earned by our government, has already become common!” It happened in the state of New York, and the nickname, about which journalists so lamented, is now known to the whole world. Hello - Uncle Sam, symbol of the USA.
Uncle Sam is a remarkable figure whose image has been a symbol of the United States for many years. There are several versions of the “birth” of the famous Uncle. Some believe that this figure came from the acronym USLD (United State Light Dragoons), which was used in the name of an American regiment formed in 1807. When anyone asked these soldiers what exactly was “hidden” behind these letters, the answer was extremely clear: “Uncle Sam’s Lazy Dogs.” Thus, according to this version, the figure of Uncle Sam does not have any prototype, but is only the result of fantasy and a play on words.
There are many versions of the origin of the image of Uncle Sam
Others believe that the image of Uncle Sam was created by opponents of the War of 1812, since it was referred to, as a rule, by pacifist newspapers, where Uncle Sam acted as an object of scorn and ridicule. It is worth noting that even today the personality of Uncle Sam inspires brave supporters of anti-Americanism. In their interpretation, this “arrogant and arrogant figure” personifies “authentic American imperialism.”
Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York
The most common, but actually unproven, version of the origin of Uncle Sam is mythological in nature and lies in the following American legend.
According to one legend, the prototype of Uncle Sam is Samuel Wilson.
During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson (“Uncle Sam”), a businessman from Troy, New York, and his colleague Elbert Anderson supplied the American army with provisions in barrels. Out of patriotic sentiments, the kegs were marked with a stencil "US" - an abbreviation for United States, and a joke spread among American soldiers about the generous "breadwinner" Uncle Sam.
Uncle Sam in a political cartoon. Thomas Nast, 1877
Or here’s another version: after the war, Samuel Wilson went to Troy and started producing canned meat. On October 2, 1812, a group of excursionists came to the plant. One of the visitors, New York Governor Daniel D. Tompkins, asked what the "EA - US" inscription on the meat cans meant. The worker replied that "EA" were the initials of Wilson's canned partner, Elbert Anderson. And then, jokingly, he added that the letters “US” “belong” to “Uncle Sam.” This case was described on May 12, 1830 by the New York Gazette & General Advertiser.
The image of Uncle Sam gained particular fame during the First World War.
By the end of the War of 1812, Uncle Sam had already come to symbolize the character of the entire nation, the American state and government. In 1961, Congress passed a resolution declaring that "Uncle Sam" Wilson of Troy was officially recognized as the prototype of the American national symbol.
Annexation of Hawaii. Uncle Sam represents the USA. Political cartoon, 1897
Uncle Sam is usually represented as a tall, gray-haired man with a goatee wearing a red, white and blue single-breasted frock coat. The most striking and characteristic detail in the image of Uncle Sam is his top hat, on which the US flag is depicted. Such appearance Uncle Sam was made popular by cartoonist Thomas Nast. Since then, of course, there have been other, more modern, variations of Uncle's appearance, but, as before, the top hat remains an integral part of his image.
Uncle Sam was and remains a very popular character among cartoonists.
Artist James Montgomery Flagg, 1915
Over time, journalists and, mainly, artists began to regularly turn to the figure of Uncle Sam. The most famous image of Uncle Sam appeared on a poster recruiting young men into the army. This poster was created in 1917 by artist James Montgomery Flagg and was later also used during World War II. The caption read: “I want you for the U. S. army.” As for Uncle Sam's face, Flagg based it on himself to save on model fees. In general, the idea for this image was taken from a similar British recruitment poster, which depicted Lord Kitchener in the same pose.
A British recruitment poster featuring Lord Kitchener. Alfred Leet, 1914
Uncle Sam recruiting soldiers for World War I. James Montgomery Flagg, 1917
It was this poster that gave Russian artist Dmitry Moor the idea for the famous Civil War poster “Have you signed up as a volunteer?”
Dmitry Moor. “Have you signed up as a volunteer?”, 1920
Irakli Toidze. “The Motherland is Calling!”, 1941
Like Flagg, Moore portrayed himself as a determined Budenovite. Later, this idea was borrowed by artist Irakli Toidze when creating the most famous Soviet poster of the Second World War - “The Motherland is Calling!”
On Independence Day, July 4th, in the small town of Twin Rivers, Sam Harper, a US Army soldier killed in Operation Desert Storm and always known for his uncompromising brutality in the military, rises from the dead. He crawled out of his zinc coffin to cold-bloodedly begin to kill those who, in his opinion, do not respect the laws of their country and behave unpatriotically. Nobody loved Sam Harper except his nephew Jody Baker. But soon he will have to try to prevent Uncle Sammy from attacking him with a cleaver in his hands
This low-budget work is dedicated to the “maestro of horror” Lucio Fulci. The film was released straight to video by A-Pix Entertainment. Amazing creepy and funny movie, a kind of summer madness from famous director William Lustig and the equally famous screenwriter Larry Cohen. I never liked Lustig’s films, due to their incomplete horror: “Maniac” is rather a tough maniac thriller, and “Maniac Cop” is an action movie with horror elements. And here in front of us real movie horror with brutal murders, a gloomy atmosphere and “black humor”, or rather banter, flowing throughout the entire picture. The director and screenwriter so strongly and clearly ridicule the traditions of American citizens, who are injected with extreme patriotism with a “vaccine of feeblemindedness” while they are still in the womb. It is not surprising that their ratings on the “American film database” are too low one cannot touch what has been laid down since childhood as the “foundation of a bright future.”
For two million US dollars, William made a fairly bloody slasher film with super-inventive, ultra-original scenes of physical violence: a naturalistic beheading; holding up a person instead of the national flag; driving a hatchet into the frontal part; toasting; burying; the flag is pierced into the body; and another brutal beheading. An anti-war movie with noticeable similarities to “Maniac Cop” by the same director. The special effects and makeup of the well-known effects master in narrow circles, as well as director Joe Castro, are beyond praise, his credo is natural, high-quality murders on the screen without any hackwork. There is a little bit of nudity. The dead killer, dressed in the costume of the symbol of America, “Uncle Sam,” with a huge cleaver, looks really textured and intimidating. A special move from the filmmakers. There are moments in this picture where you can be scared; you can see what is happening in one breath. It's busy here famous actors Stars: Bo Hopkins, Robert Forster, Timothy Bottoms and Isaac Hayes.
A tightly balanced, well-staged atmospheric slasher film with a fair amount of “black humor” about soldier Harper, which will show everyone exactly how to love the laws and glorious traditions of the United States, I sincerely recommend watching it to all fans of the genre, and not just slashers and trash, without exception. An undeservedly criticized and also undeservedly forgotten mini-masterpiece from the cult creators of horror. Moreover, this last film William Lustig.
U ncle S am).AH! MOTHERLAND!.gif
Soviet recruitment poster promoting joining cooperatives: “You are not a member of the cooperative yet - sign up immediately!”
Bat Zion I want your Old New Land join Jewish regiment.jpg
A recruiting poster printed in American Jewish magazines during World War I. It depicts the Daughter of Zion, symbolizing the Jewish people, calling to join the Jewish battalions: “Your Old New Earth needs you! Join the Jewish Legion!”
Symbolism of the image
The image of Uncle Sam is traditionally associated with the United States and, in particular, with the US government. When people say in everyday life, “Uncle Sam needs...” or “Uncle Sam wants...”, they often strive to create an ironic or comic image of the American government, which has completely human needs and desires. However, the image of Uncle is sometimes used to illustrate the “conscience of the nation”, similar to the Russian image of the Motherland.
In countries where anti-American sentiment is strong (as well as at demonstrations and rallies of anti-globalists), the image of Uncle Sam is often used to illustrate the aggressive imperial ambitions of the United States. In these cases, Uncle Sam is portrayed as an angry old man.
Other images of the United States and comparable images of other countries
Of course, Uncle Sam is not the only personification of the USA. Currently, there is another image comparable in popularity to Uncle Sam - the Statue of Liberty. Previously, there were other images. For example, during civil war in the US Brother Jonathan was often used. In the 1920s, it was occasionally used to personify the USA. female image- Columbia (now depicted on the screensaver of the film company “Columbia Pictures”). Both Uncle Sam and Columbia also became characters in political cartoons and comic strips, very popular in the United States in the 1920s.
UncleSamshakinghandswithrussian.jpg
Russian poster from 1917
Parodies
- In the episode "Fear of a Bot Planet" of the series "Futurama" on the planet of radical robots there is a poster parodying a poster with Uncle Sam: "Have you signed up for the anti-human patrol?"
- In the episode "Special Edna" of The Simpsons, Bart watches a boxing match where Uncle Sam is the winner.
- In the game "ExMachina: Meridian 113" one of the characters is very similar to Uncle Sam (his name is also Sam).
- In the game League of Legends, the champion Ryze has a skin that changes the classic Ryze to Uncle Sam's Ryze.
- In the game Saints Row IV there is a special costume for Uncle Sam.
- In the series computer games Fallout often comes across a modified poster of Uncle Sam: Uncle Sam lies like an overturned doll, but with the same face and index finger, like on a classic poster, and next to him stands a US Army soldier in Power Armor. And the inscription below “Help Uncle Sam stand up.”
- There is a film by William Lustig called Uncle Sam. It ridicules excessive patriotism, reaching the point of fanaticism leading to cruelty. There is also a noticeable anti-war message in the film.
- In the movie Across the Universe, Uncle Sam comes to life from a poster, recruiting Maxwell into the ranks of the American Army. The episode is performed to The Beatles song I Want You (She's So Heavy).
- In the game Far Cry 3 there is a character who looks very similar to Uncle Sam, he is also called Sam and he lived in the same place as the prototype of Uncle Sam.
- In the movie (All Superheroes Must Die), a villain named Rickshaw forces four superheroes to undergo tests in an abandoned city. In one of the tests they will have to fight an enemy in the form of Uncle Sam.
- Russian writer Dmitry Yemets in his works, in particular in “Tanya Grotter” uses Uncle Sam as one of the negative characters.
see also
- Marianna - national symbol France since 1792
- The Motherland is calling! - famous poster from the Great Patriotic War
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Notes
Links
- (English)
- - “Guide” by Artemy Lebedev
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Excerpt characterizing Uncle Sam
Often listening to the stories of the wanderers, she was excited by their simple, mechanical speeches for them, but full of deep meaning for her, so that several times she was ready to drop everything and run away from home. In her imagination, she already saw herself with Fedosyushka in rough rags, walking with a stick and a wallet along a dusty road, directing her journey without envy, without human love, without desires from saint to saint, and in the end, to where there is no sadness , not a sigh, but eternal joy and bliss.“I will come to one place and pray; If I don’t have time to get used to it and fall in love, I’ll move on. And I will walk until my legs give way, and I will lie down and die somewhere, and I will finally come to that eternal, quiet haven, where there is neither sadness nor sighing!...” thought Princess Marya.
But then, seeing her father and especially little Coco, she weakened in her intention, slowly cried and felt that she was a sinner: she loved her father and nephew more than God.
Biblical tradition says that the absence of work - idleness was a condition for the bliss of the first man before his fall. The love for idleness remained the same in fallen man, but the curse still weighs on man, and not only because we must earn our bread by the sweat of our brow, but because, due to our moral properties, we cannot be idle and calm. A secret voice says that we must be guilty of being idle. If a person could find a state in which, being idle, he would feel useful and fulfilling his duty, he would find one side of primitive bliss. And this state of obligatory and impeccable idleness is enjoyed by a whole class - the military class. This obligatory and impeccable idleness was and will be the main attraction of military service.
Nikolai Rostov fully experienced this bliss, after 1807 he continued to serve in the Pavlograd regiment, in which he already commanded a squadron received from Denisov.
Rostov became a hardened, kind fellow, whom Moscow acquaintances would have found somewhat mauvais genre [bad taste], but who was loved and respected by his comrades, subordinates and superiors, and who was satisfied with his life. IN Lately, in 1809, he more often found his mother’s complaints in letters from home that things were getting worse and worse, and that it was time for him to come home, please and reassure his old parents.
Reading these letters, Nikolai felt fear that they wanted to take him out of the environment in which, having protected himself from all everyday confusion, he lived so quietly and calmly. He felt that sooner or later he would have to again enter that whirlpool of life with frustrations and adjustments in affairs, with managers’ accounts, quarrels, intrigues, with connections, with society, with Sonya’s love and a promise to her. All this was terribly difficult, confusing, and he answered his mother’s letters with cold, classic letters that began: Ma chere maman [My dear mother] and ended: votre obeissant fils, [Your obedient son,] keeping silent about when he intended to come . In 1810, he received letters from his relatives, in which he was informed about Natasha’s engagement to Bolkonsky and that the wedding would take place in a year, because the old prince did not agree. This letter upset and insulted Nikolai. Firstly, he was sorry to lose Natasha from home, whom he loved more than anyone in the family; secondly, from his hussar point of view, he regretted that he was not there, because he would have shown this Bolkonsky that it was not such a great honor to be related to him and that if he loved Natasha, he could do without permission from an extravagant father. For a minute he hesitated whether to ask for leave to see Natasha as a bride, but then the maneuvers came up, thoughts about Sonya, about the confusion came, and Nikolai put it off again. But in the spring of that year he received a letter from his mother, who wrote secretly from the count, and this letter convinced him to go. She wrote that if Nikolai did not come and get down to business, then the entire estate would go under the hammer and everyone would go around the world. The Count is so weak, he has trusted Mitenka so much, and is so kind, and everyone is deceiving him so much that everything goes worse and worse. “For God’s sake, I beg you, come now, if you do not want to make me and your whole family unhappy,” the countess wrote.
This letter had an effect on Nikolai. He had that common sense of mediocrity that showed him what was due.
Now I had to go, if not to retire, then to go on vacation. Why he had to go, he did not know; but after sleeping in the afternoon, he ordered gray Mars, a long-unridden and terribly angry stallion, to be saddled, and returning home on the lathered stallion, he announced to Lavrushka (Denisov’s lackey remained with Rostov) and to his comrades who came in the evening that he was taking leave and was going home. No matter how difficult and strange it was for him to think that he would leave and not find out from headquarters (which was especially interesting to him) whether he would be promoted to captain or receive Anna for his last maneuvers; no matter how strange it was to think that he would leave without selling Count Golukhovsky the three Savras, whom the Polish count traded with him, and whom Rostov bet that he would sell for 2 thousand, no matter how incomprehensible it seemed that without him there would be that ball , which the hussars were supposed to give to Panna Pshazdeckaya in defiance of the lancers, who were giving a ball to their Panna Borzhozovskaya - he knew that he had to go from this clear, good world somewhere where everything was nonsense and confusion.
A week later there was a vacation. The hussars, comrades not only in the regiment, but also in the brigade, gave Rostov lunch, which cost 15 rubles per head. subscriptions - two music was played, two songbook choirs sang; Rostov danced the trepak with Major Basov; drunken officers rocked, hugged and dropped Rostov; the soldiers of the third squadron rocked him again and shouted hurray! Then Rostov was put in a sleigh and escorted to the first station.
Until halfway, as always happens, from Kremenchug to Kyiv, all of Rostov’s thoughts were still back - in the squadron; but having fallen over halfway, he had already begun to forget the troika of Savras, his sergeant Dozhoyveyka, and restlessly began to ask himself about what and how he would find in Otradnoye. The closer he got, the more, much more (as if moral feeling were subject to the same law of the speed of falling bodies in squared distances), he thought about his home; at the last station before Otradny, he gave the driver three rubles for vodka, and like a boy, he ran into the porch of the house, choking.
After the delight of the meeting, and after that strange feeling of dissatisfaction in comparison with what you expect - everything is the same, why was I in such a hurry! - Nikolai began to get used to his old world Houses. Father and mother were the same, they were only a little older. There was a new kind of anxiety and sometimes disagreement in them, which had not happened before and which, as Nikolai soon learned, stemmed from the bad state of affairs. Sonya was already twenty years old. She had already stopped becoming prettier, she did not promise anything more than what was in her; but that was enough. She had been breathing happiness and love all over since Nikolai arrived, and this girl’s faithful, unshakable love had a joyful effect on him. Petya and Natasha surprised Nikolai the most. Petya was already a big, thirteen-year-old, handsome, cheerfully and intelligently playful boy, whose voice was already breaking. Nikolai was surprised at Natasha for a long time and laughed as he looked at her.
“Not at all,” he said.
- Well, have you gone crazy?
– On the contrary, but it’s somehow important. Princess! - he told her in a whisper.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Natasha said joyfully.
Natasha told him her affair with Prince Andrei, his arrival in Otradnoye and showed him his last letter.
- Why are you happy? – Natasha asked. “I’m so calm and happy now.”
“I’m very glad,” Nikolai answered. - He's a great person. Why are you so in love?
“How can I tell you,” Natasha answered, “I was in love with Boris, with the teacher, with Denisov, but this is not the same at all.” I feel calm and firm. I know that there are no better people than him, and I feel so calm, good now. Not at all like before...
Nikolai expressed his displeasure to Natasha that the wedding had been postponed for a year; but Natasha attacked her brother with bitterness, proving to him that it could not be otherwise, that it would be bad to join the family against the will of her father, that she herself wanted it.
“You don’t understand at all,” she said. Nikolai fell silent and agreed with her.
My brother was often surprised when he looked at her. It didn't look at all like she was a loving bride separated from her groom. She was even, calm, and cheerful, absolutely as before. This surprised Nikolai and even made him look at Bolkonsky’s matchmaking with disbelief. He did not believe that her fate had already been decided, especially since he had not seen Prince Andrei with her. It seemed to him that something was wrong in this supposed marriage.
“Why the delay? Why didn’t you get engaged?” he thought. Having once talked with his mother about his sister, he, to his surprise and partly to his pleasure, found that his mother, in the same way, in the depths of her soul, sometimes looked at this marriage with distrust.
“He writes,” she said, showing her son Prince Andrei’s letter with that hidden feeling of ill will that a mother always has against her daughter’s future marital happiness, “she writes that she will not arrive before December.” What kind of business could detain him? Truly a disease! My health is very poor. Don't tell Natasha. Don’t look at how cheerful she is: this is the last time she’s living as a girl, and I know what happens to her every time we receive his letters. But God willing, everything will be fine,” she concluded every time: “he’s an excellent person.”
At first, Nikolai was serious and even boring. He was tormented by the impending need to intervene in these stupid household matters, for which his mother had called him. In order to get this burden off his shoulders as quickly as possible, on the third day of his arrival, he angrily, without answering the question of where he was going, went with frowned brows to Mitenka’s outbuilding and demanded from him an account of everything. What these accounts of everything were, Nikolai knew even less than Mitenka, who was in fear and bewilderment. The conversation and consideration of Mitenka did not last long. The headman, the elective and the zemstvo, who were waiting in the front wing, with fear and pleasure at first heard how the voice of the young count began to hum and crackle, as if ever rising, they heard abusive and scary words, falling one after another.
- Robber! Ungrateful creature!... I will chop up the dog... not with daddy... I stole... - etc.
Then these people, with no less pleasure and fear, saw how the young count, all red, with bloodshot eyes, pulled Mitenka out by the collar, with his foot and knee with great dexterity, at a convenient time, between his words, pushed him in the butt and shouted: “Get out!” so that your spirit, you bastard, is not here!”
Initially, people used some sign with secret meaning, understandable only to a certain group of people. Symbolic forms are formed from two elements: image and meaning. Sometimes humorous, and sometimes quite serious images, figures, sculptures, objects that carry a certain or implicit meaning are found among individual groups united by some interest or secret, among peoples and countries.
Who was the prototype of the American Uncle Sam?
Since the middle of the last century, this has been the name given to the government of the United States, the country itself and government agencies related to intelligence, state security, army, justice. It happened naturally. For many years, private entrepreneurship and business have been identified with this phrase.
It is generally believed that Uncle Sam is a playful stand for the abbreviation USA. Where did this misconception come from, which has become a symbol?
This expression was first used in one of September 1813 in an angry article denouncing the government. And a character with that name (Samuel, or Sam Wilson) actually existed. During the war with England, a successful owner of slaughterhouses and part-time merchant was engaged in supplying large quantities of provisions for the US Army. The barrels of salted meat were stenciled with large letters US, indicating that the cargo belonged to the state governments. Several dozen barrels marked with these signs were delivered daily to a large military base in the city of Troy, located near the front line.
There was an error
One day, one of the guards of Irish origin began to prove to the soldiers next to him that these letters were directly related to the supplier, Uncle (Mr.) Sam. The soldiers enjoyed making fun of the Irishman about this. Every day, when another shipment of meat arrived, the jokes began all over again. It was the Togzha who introduced this phrase into use, which was later picked up by journalists.
Later it was transferred to all goods from the USA. There is even a holiday called Uncle Sam's Day, which Americans celebrate in March, on the 13th, according to the real date of birth of the popular person who became the prototype of the famous symbol.
When was he first drawn?
The first drawing, a newspaper cartoon depicting Uncle Sam, was published in 1852. It depicted a thin, gray-haired old man with sideburns and a goatee, with a tall top hat on his head. His clothes, painted in colors - a blue tailcoat, striped trousers - were added later. Thanks to the imagination and invention of artists, in different years changing the image of a handsome but demanding grandfather in their own way, the whole world imagines that this is exactly what he looked like. Photo depicting real person, may differ from the image invented by the draftsmen.
The real Sam Wilson, judging by the surviving descriptions of his appearance, had a short stature and a rather round, corpulent figure.
Who drew it
The very first “Uncle Sam” was drawn by artist F. G. Belew. There was absolutely no resemblance to the original, the real Mr. Wilson. A portrait created several decades later by D. M. Flegg famously bears the face of the artist himself. It was in this image that Uncle Sam first “put on” a tall top hat and a blue tailcoat.
Today famous image presented in the form of souvenirs, images, large and small figurines. It is present in serious and not so serious subjects, in caricatures with kind and mocking meanings. The whole world recognizes the gray-haired old man with sideburns, and it doesn’t matter at all whether the image of the symbol is similar to the original or not.
Lady Liberty
Another famous American symbol is the Statue of Liberty, installed on Bedlow Island (now Liberty Island) in 1886 on the approach from the sea to New York. The huge structure, disassembled, was delivered by ship from France along the sea route.
The female figure, created by Frederic Bartholdi, has a height of 46 m. Together with the pedestal and pedestal, inside which the museum is located, the height of the sculpture is 93 m. He designed the internal frame on which the copper sheets of the statue are attached. It is noteworthy that the figure is made of Russian copper, and the pedestal is made of German cement.
Under the terms of the treaty signed by President Ulysses Grant in 1877, the United States agreed to accept a sculpture of the Statue of Liberty as a gift for the 100th anniversary of Independence. The pedestal was built with donations from American citizens. For the sculpture itself, funds were collected in France. The gift was 10 years late for the planned anniversary. Despite this unfortunate fact, a grand celebration was organized with a parade in honor of the installation of the long-awaited sculpture on a hexagonal pedestal.
Since then, for almost 130 years, Uncle Sam, in the form of the Goddess of Freedom, has been greeting guests of the country with a torch held high in her hands.