Uncle Sam
At roughly 200 years old, he is the world’s most famous uncle. Although his face has changed over time, no one would mistake him for someone else.
Today he commonly wears a top hat and tails and has a beard on a stern grandfatherly face. His patriotic suit is red, white, and blue. This image of Uncle Sam was created by James Montgomery Flagg in 1917.
The exact origins of Uncle Sam as a symbol for the United States are unknown. The most widely accepted story originates in a meat packing facility during the War of 1812. Crates of meat from that facility intended to fulfill a government contract were marked with “U.S.” Workers at the facility joked that the letters stood for their nickname for their boss, Uncle Sam Wilson. The use of the name Uncle Sam for the United States spread quickly.
Uncle Sam first appeared in print in the 1830s, but bore little resemblance to the figure pictured today. In the 1830s, Uncle Sam was plump and clean shaven. Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist, first formalized the image of Uncle Sam in political cartoons following the Civil War (1861-1865). Nast drew Uncle Sam as tall and thin; but also gave him a beard. In Nast’s cartoon Uncle Sam wore a top hat, tails, and striped pants. Uncle Sam has continued to be portrayed in a similar manner around the globe.
