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Brother Jonathan and friends

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The U.S. is particularly rich in national personifications.  Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty are well known to most of us, but what about Columbia and Brother Jonathan?

Brother Jonathan in striped pants, somber overcoat, and Lincolnesque stove-pipe hat, as drawn by Thomas Nast.
Columbia wearing a warship bearing the words “World Power” as her “Easter bonnet” (cover of Puck, April 6, 1901).

Brother Jonathan, representing New England, came into use during the war for independence and would eventually be supplanted by Uncle Sam who would later represent the entire nation, rather than just the government.

Columbia, representative of the 13 colonies was in use since the 1730, and only fell out of use around WW I when images of Lady Liberty were more common.

Johnny Reb, it should be no surprise, arose during the Civil war along with his counterpart Billy Yank.

We’ve got a whole family of characters; I am almost inspired to do a family reunion comic.  It could be reminiscent of Hetalia, ’cause I love that show, but not WW II based.

 

Blood on the Tracks in Pullman: Chicagoland’s Failed Capitalist Utopia

Blood on the Tracks in Pullman: Chicagoland’s Failed Capitalist Utopia published on No Comments on Blood on the Tracks in Pullman: Chicagoland’s Failed Capitalist Utopia

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the U.S. is so big.  Big enough to give room to lunatic endeavors, hidden military bases, engineered towns, concentration camps, and George Pullman’s greed.  I think his burial might be the most interesting part about it, though.

Blood on the Tracks in Pullman: Chicagoland’s Failed Capitalist Utopia.

George Pullman died on October 19, 1897. He was so despised his family became worried that his workers might dig him up. To make sure that no one would desecrate his remains, Pullman was buried much deeper than usual, encased in thick concrete and under large railroad ties. The burial reportedly took two full days.

Upon learning of the rather elaborate burial procedure, journalist Ambrose Bierce was said to remark, “It is clear the family in their bereavement was making sure the sonofabitch wasn’t going to get up and come back.”

Murder and Mayhem in Miniature

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Do you just happen to have a very weird figurine?  Maybe you wound up with it after a relative moved or during a clean out of grandma’s house.  I know I’ve got one, but none of the ones I have are quite as weird as these:  Murder and Mayhem in Miniature: The Lurid Side of Staffordshire Figurines | Collectors Weekly.

Ask A Slave: A Comedy Web Series

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Ask A Slave: A Comedy Web Series starring Azie Dungey that puts all of the “most interesting, and somewhat infuriating encounters” she had while portraying a slave in historical sites on the East Coast.   While it is hilarious in a laugh-at-the-stupid-tourist kinda way, it’s also really sad that real questions inspired the show.  It makes me embarrassed for my species.

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