Uncle Sam
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Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the United States, depicting the federal government or the country as a whole. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of th
J. M. Flagg's 1917 poster was based on the original British Lord Kitchener poster of three years earlier. It was used to recruit soldiers for both World War I and World War II into the United States Army. Flagg used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam, and veteran Walter Botts provided the pose.
Columbia, as drawn by Paul Stahr (c. 1917)
Uncle Sam and Columbia in an 1869 cartoon by Thomas Nast
Photograph of Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York
James Montgomery Flagg
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James Montgomery Flagg was an American artist, comics artist, and illustrator. He worked in media ranging from fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered for his political posters, partic
Uncle Sam
…emotion. Uncle Sam has also developed notoriety for his appearance in military propaganda, made popular in a 1917 World War I recruiting poster by James Montgomery Flagg. According to legend, the character came into use during the War of 1812 and may have been named after Samuel Wilson, but the true origin is obscure…
Flagg in 1915, photographed by Arnold Genthe
Flagg as Captain Kidd at the Illustrators' Ball, a masquerade ball in New York in 1917.
The grave of James Montgomery Flagg in Woodlawn Cemetery
Illustration in St. Nicholas Illustrated magazine, January 1898.