Wow, the GPO has an interesting choice for a Christmas illustration

I'm a fan of their blog. I just wouldn't have chosen this illustration for an article about Christmas trees....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, say, can you tree? American Christmas tree traditions

by Michele Bartram, U.S. Government Online Bookstore
http://govbooktalk.gpo.gov/2013/12/17/oh-say-can-you-tree-american-christmas-tree-traditions/

As you can see, it's Uncle Sam and Columbia bringing the blessings of liberty to less-enlightened peoples in the wake of the Spanish-American War.  My guess is that it's a scan off the Library of Congress site. Yes, here it is, from 1899.

In the larger size reprinted here, you can see children in native garb representing their countries, with Puerto Rico receiving a book, Hawaii reaching out for something too, Samoa sucking on candy, and  Cuba and the Philippines getting a nice new plow. If it's not a justification of imperialism (although I think it is), it's certainly paternalism.

However, should you like to have this Keppler print for your own decorating, you can download a 140mb tif and print it out probably as big as a tree. It is a nice drawing.

Columbian caricaturist exhibit opens downtown tomorrow

Bruce Guthrie has passed along this information which looks neat. I can't find much at the OAS's website though.


The Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), the Art Museum of the Americas and the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the Organization of American States (OAS), cordially invite you to the inauguration of an exhibition of caricatures by five Colombian artists:

"Mujeres en su Tinta"

Opening Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 3 p.m.
OAS Main Building - Marcus Garvey Hall
17th Street and Constitution Ave, NW
On view until Friday, October 29th