Doug Boilesen, 2023
There are references to
Brother Jonathan in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper in
1875 but currently only one illustrated example is shown here of Brother
Jonathan between 1875 - 1878. There are surely others but that illustration
from June 26, 1875 exemplifies how far Brother Jonathan had artistically
morphed into Uncle Sam. The difficulty to distinguish "who was
who" without an identification in the illustration was reaching
a point where it was only a question of time before Brother Jonathan
would disappear.
The June 26,1875 illustration
in Frank Leslie's is also interesting because Brother Jonathan
is talking with John Bull. The two had been closely associated for
decades going back to their 1813
illustration when they were physically fighting.
The numerous illustrations
from 1878 showing Uncle Sam with John Bull are significant indicators
as to how far Brother Jonathan's role had changed. Uncle Sam and John
Bull together, not Brother Jonathan and John Bull -- an unambigous
message to the world that Uncle Sam was now the symbol of the United
States of America.
Brother
Jonathan, Frank Leslie's
Illustrated Newspaper, June 26, 1875
Brother Jonathan, Supplement
to Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper, June 26, 1875 -
Brother Jonathan and John Bull
Uncle
Sam, Frank Leslie's Illustrations
from 1875
Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper, January 9, 1875
Uncle Sam, Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
January 23, 1875
Uncle Sam, Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
January 23, 1875
Uncle Sam, Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
July 10, 1875
Uncle Sam, Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
July 18, 1875
Uncle
Sam, Harper's Weekly, May
5, 1877
Uncle Sam by Thomas Nast
in Harper's Weekly, May 5, 1877 -
(Courtesy The
Comics Journal)
Uncle
Sam and John Bull, Frank Leslie's Illustrations from 1878
Uncle Sam - "An
Expensive Kettle of Fish," Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
March 30, 1878
Uncle Sam, Harper's
Weekly, April 20, 1878
Uncle Sam is shown on the cover of Harper's
Weekly at "An International Conference About Money"
after the US has made silver legal coinage to pay US bonds (which
is interpretted in this illustration that the US is no longer a first
class power..."We have passed from the class composed of Great
Britain, Germany, France and Holland into that composed of Spain,
Italy, Greece, Austria, Turkey and the South American States. We are,
in short, now among the repudiators and defaulters." - The
Nation
Uncle Sam at "An
International Conference About Money," by Thomas Nast, Harper's
Weekly, April 20, 1878.
Uncle
Sam, Frank Leslie's Illustration May 4, 1878
Uncle Sam - "Spontaneous
Resumption," Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, May
4, 1878
Uncle Sam and
John Bull, Frank Leslie's Illustration May 11, 1878
The Mrs. Potts' Sad Iron ad in the
May 11, 1878 Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper with
the identified Uncle Sam holding the Sad Iron while revealing
his plan to the Crowned Heads of Europe on how to "smooth
out the map of Europe."
Frank Leslie's
Illustrated Newspaper, May 11, 1878. John Bull on left.
Uncle
Sam and John Bull, Frank Leslie's Illustration May 25, 1878
Uncle Sam - "I'll
back both, if you're both sure pay!" Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper, May 25, 1878
Uncle Sam and John Bull
Uncle
Sam and John Bull, Harper's Weekly, May 25, 1878
"Revenge
is an Expensive Luxury." Thomas Nast, Harper's Weekly,
May 25, 1878
John Bull to Uncle
Sam: "No doubt, you are now glad that "the indirect
claims" were thrown out at Geneva."
Uncle
Sam, Harper's Weekly, July 20, 1878
Uncle Sam - "Do
you ever play Base-ball, or any American game?" Frank Leslie's
Illustrated Newspaper, July 20, 1878
Uncle
Sam and John Bull, Frank Leslie's Illustration July 27, 1878
Advertisement for A. Werner
Champagne. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, July 27, 1878
- Uncle Sam toasting in the back
with John Bull seated in front.
Uncle
Sam and John Bull, Frank Leslie's Illustration September 28,
1878
Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper , September 28, 1878 - Uncle
Sam holding hands with John Bull.
Uncle
Sam, Frank Leslie's Illustration October 12, 1878
"Our Platform."
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper , October 12, 1878
Uncle
Sam and John Bull, Frank Leslie's Illustration December 7,
1878
A "Fishy"
Bargain. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper , December
7, 1878 - Uncle Sam and John Bull
Uncle
Sam, Frank Leslie's Illustration December, 1879
Brother
Jonathan, Harper's Weekly,
January 1862
Brother Jonathan and
John Bull - "Jonathan on the Mason and Slidell Affair,"
Harper's Weekly, January 1862
Brother
Jonathan, Harper's Weekly,
June 1859
Brother Jonathan - "Sympathy
for Italian Organ-Grinders," Harper's Weekly, June 1859
3) ...Brother Jonathan
becoming "a designation for the whole country, as John Bull has
for England."
The following articles
are other examples of how a story like the history of the term Brother
Jonathan would circulate and appear in newspapers across the world
as a factoid, in this case it is unknown what was prompting these
pieces of information at this point in time.
Tulare County Times,
January 5, 1878, p. 2 (Visalia, CA)
Similiar 1878 articles
about the the history of the term Brother Jonathan would appear
in newspapers across the world as a factoid emphasizing Jonathan's
original role as a fixer and someone to consult in difficult times.
It is unknown what was prompting this seemingly random piece of information
at this point in time but it was the same time period when Uncle Sam
was becoming the prominent representative of the federal govenment
and the United States with Brother Jonathan morphing into Uncle
Sam.
The Graphic: A Weekly
Illustrated Newspaper, June 15, 1878, p.9 (London)
The New York Daily Herald,
Feburary 27, 1878 (p. 10) published a lengthy article about success
of The Children's Carnival and Ball sponsored by the Music
Academy. It was noted that the programme opened with "Prince
Carnival" offering his services to the Goddess of Liberty
and Brother Jonathan."
4) In an article titled
American Nicknames it was noted that "A native American
can not receive a higher compliment than to be styled Brother Jonathan;"
The article then explained the origin of Brother Jonathan's name.
The Wynadott Herald,
September 26, 1878, p. 1 (Kansas)
5) To the European who
has studied Brother Jonathan through the medium of Sam Slick
or the broad caricatures of Yankee Hill, it is a somewhat startling
revelation that the young man who was once Brother Jonathan, but has
now become Uncle Sam...
Central Somerset Gazette
(England), September 28, 1878, p. 5
6) Brother Jonathan's
abilities in international commerce are complimented - "he will
always keep his end level, in international commerce."
Wisconsin State Journal,
June 26, 1878, p. 1
Brother Jonathan by Thomas
Nast, 19th Century (Wikipedia
Commons)
Uncle Sam Cast Iron
Mechanical Bank (ca. 1886)
Uncle Sam Cast Iron
Mechanical Bank (ca. 1886) - Designed by Charles Shepard and Peter
Adams Jr. and manufactured by Shepard Hardware Company in Buffalo,
New York. The brown carpet bag opens when lever is pressed as the
coin placed in Uncle Sam’s extended hand drops into it. At the same
time, Sam's bearded chin rocks back and forth, simulating laughter.
Patented June 8, 1886. (Courtesy Z
& K Antiques.)
Phonographia
