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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Uncle Sam Sick with La Grippe |
| Reference | 1988-102-120 |
| Library | Philadelphia Museum of Art |
| Collection | The William H. Helfand Collection, 1988 |
| Date | 1834 |
| Author | Clay, Edward Williams |
| Document Type | Ephemera |
| Theme(s) | Satire and Parody |
| Keywords | doctor, cure, politics, influenza |
| Additional Information | The "grippe" from which Uncle Sam is suffering is the economic crisis precipitated by President Andrew Jackson's veto of the bill to recharter the Bank of the United States and his subsequent demand that only hard currency be used in payment for federal lands. Those ministering to the sick nation include the president as the physician; Jackson's vice-president and eventual successor Martin Van Buren as the nurse; and his political ally Senator Thomas Hart Benton as the apothecary holding a clyster. Jackson's lack of success in improving Uncle Sam's condition had led to the call for another doctor, and Nicholas Biddle, former head of the national bank, can be seen arriving. Biddle is greeted by Brother Jonathan, who was, like Uncle Sam, a frequent symbol of the United Sates in the nineteenth century; the print is unique in showing both figures simultaneously. William H. Helfand, from 'The Picture of Health: Images of Medicine and Pharmacy from the William H. Helfand Collection' (1991), p. 77. |
| Note | Please note that some of the metadata for this document has been drawn from the Philadelphia Museum of Art's catalogue. |
| Visual Content | View thumbnails |
| Copyright | Philadelphia Museum of Art |