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.