A Flagg Worth Honoring

Dear Lee,

For many, July is the best month of the year. The first full month of summer gets off to a bang, thanks in large part to Fourth of July celebrations. Honoring our independence is a grand time to wave the flag. And while we’re at it, this July just might be the perfect time to honor another Flagg as well.

James Montgomery Flagg was 39 when the United States entered World War I in 1917, much too old to serve his country in battle. Instead, Flagg drew on what he did best, and in the process helped not only the war effort but helped shape the face of a country.

A leading illustrator of the time, Flagg’s dramatic creation of Uncle Sam exhorting “I Want You For U.S. Army” so resonated with the public that it became a recruitment marvel and one of the most enduring images of the 20th century.

Flagg didn’t invent Uncle Sam, of course, but, with the top hat, goatee, the burning eyes and long finger pointing at the very soul of able-bodied Americans, he did transform him into a powerful and convincing figure. Flagg’s Uncle Sam poster struck a patriotic nerve, with a staggering four million copies printed between 1917 and 1918.

Flagg produced 46 posters for the government, many of them featuring Uncle Sam. He wasn’t the only artist to step forward, of course. As many as 300 illustrators volunteered their talents to promote the war effort, including the likes of Howard Chandler Christy, N.C. Wyeth and a young Norman Rockwell. But it was Flagg’s work that proved most effective and memorable.

During World War II, Flagg’s Uncle Sam reemerged and was found in front of every post office and recruiting station in the country.

Flagg, who had a healthy ego and was not shy about sharing his opinion, called his recruiting poster “the most famous poster in the world.” Few could argue otherwise.

Sadly, Flagg’s fame dimmed as the post-World War II era dawned. The role of illustrators changed dramatically. They needed to work fast to adapt to the evolving world of mass markets and color photography. Flagg’s style fell out of fashion and as it did his health faded. “I really died twenty years ago,” said Flagg referring to his career later in life, “but nobody had the nerve to bury me.” Flagg passed away on May 27, 1960, at the age of 82.

Time is relentless and change steadfast, but while we celebrate all that is magical about July, let’s not forget James Montgomery Flagg and his most famous work, an Uncle Sam who unified a nation during its most desperate times.

Cheers!

Paul Kennedy
Editorial Director
Kovels + Antique Trader
pkennedy@aimmedia.com

 

James Montgomery Flagg’s famous World War I Uncle Sam recruitment poster.

 

Later in life, Flagg began to resemble his Uncle Sam character.

Celebrate the Fourth of July!

 

Celebrating the Fourth

Dear Lee,

Welcome to our special Fourth of July Americana issue! To honor the day, this month we emphasize objects made in America or by American designers.

Ralph and I were always on the lookout for vintage presidential and patriotic collectibles at flea markets and house sales. They are as varied and different as the 45 men who have held that office. We found the more commonly known ones, like buttons and posters, but we also found fun ones like a 5-foot-high wooden cutout of Uncle Sam. He graced our entry hall during the Fourth of July celebrations. We ended up donating him to our local historical society, but our children and grandchildren still fondly remember him.

I display in my own office a dozen political and patriotic banners I’ve collected over the years. I have original banners touting 19th-century presidential candidates James Garfield, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison along with their running mates, and a 1904 Teddy Roosevelt campaign bandanna. I also have a bold portrait that shows the “Hero of Manila,” Admiral George Dewey of the 1898 Spanish-American War. One of my great prizes is a piece of fabric with an illustration commemorating the death of George Washington, with angels bearing him toward heaven.

One that I don’t have, but would love to see one day, is an 1800 cloth banner celebrating the electoral victory of Thomas Jefferson over John Adams. It is believed to be one of the earliest surviving textiles with partisan imagery and is currently at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, though not on view.

As I gather again this year with friends and family, I know I am continuing a tradition that will live on in memories for years. And we don’t need a banner to know that.

Happy Independence Day!

 

FROM THE KOVEL COLLECTION

Above:  Tribute to Spanish-American War hero Admiral George Dewey.

Below:  Theodore Roosevelt/Charles Fairbanks 1904 presidential campaign bandanna.

 

July 4th Collectibles Keep Memories Alive 

Dear Lee, 

Fourth of July fireworks parties have been part of our lives since the 1960s. Since free fireworks were fired from the playground at the school at the corner and the family picnic area was the open space around the other buildings at the corner, we had the perfect party and viewing spot. The city closed the road in front of my house and my drive became a parking lot for friends who came for dinner and a noisy, memorable party. Every year, we would invite family and friends to a barbecue picnic in my backyard, then games and entertainment in the school yard. It also led to some new items to collect.

We planned ahead. The lightweight, fold-up, drugstore plastic chairs were easy to take into the street when the fireworks started. We had sparklers to wave. We even had firecrackers that came woven into a long chain.

Hotdogs, hamburgers, corn-on-the cob, potato chips and a flag cake were the menu of choice. Our children and later our grandchildren made the famous flag cake: Fill a rectangular pan with cake batter. Bake it, cover the top with white icing, then decorate with properly place raspberries for red stripes and blueberries for stars. Each year, I buy any decorations on sale at Costco after the Fourth and I watch for vintage decorations at house sales and flea markets. I now have an assortment of paper and ceramic plates, colorful plastic and paper platters and cups, and throw-away “silverware.” Sales have gotten me a nice assortment of bunting to hang from windows, noisemakers, and my favorite — an over-the-top T-shirt. Best are all the Uncle Sams and flags.

My favorite Fourth of July items have come from the nearby Burton Flea Market each May. I always found something fun, including one year, a $25 handmade whirligig of Chief Wahoo, the former Cleveland Indians mascot. It joined small, vintage flags with fewer than 50 stars that decorated the front lawn. I would leave them up until the next day. About 10 years ago, Chief Wahoo vanished. Today, the whirligig would be considered folk art and would sell for a few hundred dollars. I’ve never seen another like it. One year at an outdoor antiques fair, Ralph and I splurged and paid $100 for a 5-foot-high wooden cut-out of Uncle Sam. He graced our back hall for about 15 years before we donated him to the historical society as a measuring stick for children to get free candy.

My house still is decorated with flags and a plastic Uncle Sam. I still wear my crazy T-shirt. The traditions with the old, familiar decorations continue, and the feelings when the first sparklers are lit, and the fireworks burst overhead remain. Those are memories that will be with us forever.