Uncle Sam traces back to Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy, New York, who stamped barrels of army beef "U.S." during the War of 1812. Soldiers joked the initials stood for their supplier, "Uncle Sam," and the nickname stuck. This nutcracker brings him to life in the coat and top hat that have marked the symbol since Congress formally recognized Wilson as its namesake in 1961.
Details
- Measures 14 inches
- Officially licensed America250 trademark
More about Uncle Sam
Samuel Wilson ran a meatpacking business in Troy, New York, supplying the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. His barrels were stamped "U.S.," and the soldiers who received them began referring to the initials as standing for "Uncle Sam," a nickname locals already used for the well-liked Wilson. The joke spread through the ranks and into popular use, and in 1961 Congress passed a resolution recognizing Samuel Wilson of Troy as the progenitor of the Uncle Sam symbol.
The image most people picture, the top hat, the pointing finger, the star-spangled coat, comes largely from illustrator James Montgomery Flagg, who painted Uncle Sam for a 1917 World War I recruitment poster using his own face as the model. That poster ran again during World War II and helped cement Uncle Sam as the country's most recognized personification.