Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-22
BY n, II. WINDSOR.

Can you imagine 10000 cartoons of
Uncle Sam and no two alike?
What other character who has ever
figured in the worlds history, real or
mythical, has ever been so honored?
Thirty thousand pictures of the same
person, all with an individuality a
child recognizes in an instant, and yet
each having it's own different express
sidn drawn to fit the occasion of its
use or some important event in our
history. That 10000 blades of grass
should each differ from another is far
less wonderful.
IF every manuscript and printed
page of American history of the past
20 years we're obliterated from the
earth, and my collection of Uncle Sam
cartoons alone remained, the history
Of the United States for that period
could be quickly and accurately writ
ten" These we're the words of a Chi
cago society woman, Mrs. D. Harry
Hammer, who 20 years ago conceived
the idea of making a collection of
cartoons illustrating various subjects.
These were cut from the few weekly
papers, and an occasional daily, which
at that time published cartoons. At
first the supply was small and infre-
quent, but gradually it expanded and
improved until now the cartoon is the
one universal language, telling its IN
mistakable story to all who have eyes
TO see, of whatever nation or land.
The expressions of fear, grief, anger,
repugnance, contemplation, roguery,
aVarice, pleasure, and a host of others,
with all their variations, tell in a
few hurried, skillful lines of the car
toon, their wordless story which writes
itself with indelible ink upon the
hearts of men and women. In no 9TH
er condition as in the reading of the
cartoon are all men so equal.
But TO return TO our Uncle Samuel.
AS Mrs. Hammers collection increased,
her interest was steadily drawn to
that grim old figure which is now a
familiar character wherever printed
paper is read, and centered upon it.
From dozens the list grew into hun.
dreds, and then thousands, and is still
increasing ever day. No such assem-,
blage of Uncle Sans exists in the
world today, and all the money of a
Rockefeller or the mandate of a king
could not replace it.
AS cartoons increased in numbers
! Uncle Sans appearance likewise i'm
/ proved, and this led Mrs. Hammer 10
a search for the original Uncle Sam
| the father OF the 10000. And no easy
task it proved to be, occupying long
research which took her 10 all parts
: of our own country, and finally to
( England, where her enterprise and per
severance were finally rewarded in the
J discovery Of what is acknowledged tc
be the original Uncle Sam, only al
that time he was young fellow who
appeared in Punch, London, in 1912
and was called Yankee Doodle Doc,
a doubtful compliment then. Later
i his name there was modified to the
more dignifed Brother Jonathan" Tc
/ Thomas Mast belongs the making oil
I the first Uncle Sam with the unmis
[ taxable characteristics which are now
doubtless established for all time. A
comparison of the illustration of the
Brother Jonathan Of 1874 and MAST
Uncle Sam Of 1897 will express hi:
evolution during these so years. Ever
now the origin of his hat is in doubt
/ for cooked hats were In vogue ir
| the days when the cartoon first ap
! peared. The earliest cartoon of Broth
er Jonathan printed in this country
( appeared in 1852 in a paper called
The Lantern" published in New
/ York
In enumerating the versatile i'm
presentations of Uncle Sam, Mrs. Ham
mer, writing in Cartoons Magazine
says:
Manipulated by the hand of a clev
er cartoonist, Uncle Sam in his time
plays many parts. Uncle Sam as
soldier and sailor are hackneyed con
ceits, but less common is Uncle San
as a drum major. as a fussy old her
who has Matched ducks and is dis