Uncle Sam
Videos
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
Samuel Wilson
Videos
Samuel Wilson was an American meat packer who lived in Troy, New York, whose name is purportedly the source of the personification of the United States known as "Uncle Sam".
Uncle Sam
…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. The first reference to Uncle Sam in formal literature (as distinct from newspapers) was in the 1816 allegorical book…
Wilson's grave in Troy, New York
Uncle Sam Memorial Statue, Arlington, Massachusetts
Uncle Sam statue detail