Uncle Sam 259 by Andy Warhol is a screenprint from the artist’s Myths portfolio created in 1981. The print presents a lean man in a swallow-tailed coat, colorful top hat, and crisp white hair. His gaze is steady, his features symmetrical and calm, marked only by his bushy eyebrows and pointed beard. The background glows in a pale yellow wash that amplifies the red, white, and blue of his costume.
Warhol outlines the figure with strokes of red and blue, a silkscreen technique he often used to accentuate his photographic subjects. The surface sparkles with diamond dust—finely crushed glass that gives the print a radiant, tactile shimmer. Signed in pencil along the lower margin, Uncle Sam 259 captures both theatricality and restraint: the look of an American icon stripped down to his essentials.
A Pop Vision of Patriotism
Unlike other Myths prints drawn from folklore and fantasy, Uncle Sam 259 enters the realm of propaganda and politics. The figure of Uncle Sam—first popularized in early American war posters—has long symbolized national identity and pride. By placing him among cartoon heroes and Hollywood stars, Warhol blurred the line between patriotism and pop culture.
The reference photo for Uncle Sam came from Warhol’s own circle. Like other works in the Myths portfolio, the artist invited friends and collaborators to pose in costume. The result is a mix of sincerity and irony: a friend dressed as a national symbol, reenacting America’s image of itself. Warhol’s soft yellow background, rather than the dark tones of prints like as Mickey Mouse or Superman, gives Uncle Sam a lighter, almost nostalgic atmosphere.
America Through Warhol’s Eyes
Warhol’s fascination with American identity runs throughout his work. From Campbell’s Soup Cans to Ads, he examined how symbols shape collective imagination. In Uncle Sam 259, he turned the patriotic emblem into an object of reflection—a mirror of America’s self-image at the dawn of the 1980s.
As the artist once said, “Everybody has their own America, and then they have pieces of a fantasy America that they think is out there but they can’t see.” Through that lens, Uncle Sam 259 embodies both Warhol’s personal connection to his country and his critique of its myths. The print’s polished simplicity reveals both pride and distance, admiration and irony.
Uncle Sam 259 in Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
Drawn to the dazzling world of Hollywood, Warhol made a name for himself by creating celebrity portraits starring the most prominent names in entertainment—including Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, and Mick Jagger. He soon expanded his scope to include central figures in sports, science, and politics, with prints like Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Jimmy Carter.
Yet Myths explores the theme of celebrity from a fresh standpoint, bringing fictional and allegorical figures into the Pop Art canon. Many of these figures emerged from familiar bedtime stories, folklore, or classic television shows and films. They reflect the magic of America’s captivating and commanding past.
Each character in Myths reflects a facet of Warhol’s personality. If The Star represented mystery and glamour, Uncle Sam stands for his complex relationship with American culture itself. His art dissected the nation’s dreams—its fame, commerce, and politics—with equal fascination.
Warhol’s ability to turn national symbols into Pop icons reshaped how America saw itself. “An America without Warhol,” as one critic wrote, “is almost as inconceivable as Warhol without America.” With Uncle Sam 259, he transformed a patriotic caricature into something more nuanced: a portrait of belief and branding, sincerity and spectacle.
Photo credits:
- Andy Warhol photographing Uncle Sam. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Judd Tully Art Critic, Journalist and Filmmaker.
- “Andy Warhol at R. Feldman Gallery with Myths, 1981,” 2015, Robert Levine
