Eil'hinüber Onkel Sam [Hurry Up, Uncle Sam]
- Title:
- Eil'hinüber Onkel Sam [Hurry Up, Uncle Sam]
- Alternate Title:
- Hurry Up, Uncle Sam
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Schmidt, Edgar
- Date:
- 1909
- Date 2:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2345.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2345_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1900 - 1919
- Subject:
- Ethnocentrism
Other Moral & Social
Satirical - Measurement:
- 9 x 14 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This map satirizes the worldwide frenzy created by news of claims by American explorers in 1909 that they had reached the North Pole.
On September 1, 1909, the American surgeon and explorer Frederick Cook wired from a ship near the Shetland Islands that he had reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908, accompanied only by two Inuit men. He claimed that they had been blocked by open water on their southward return, requiring a year-long detour through Arctic Islands without adequate supplies. Cook's report was major news not only in the U.S., but across Europe, where Cook's claims were greeted with skepticism: "Doubt Cast in London" (New York Times, September 2, 1909, p.1); "Berlin is Skeptical" (ibid., p.2); "Paris morning newspapers are characterized by a benevolent doubting tone with regard to Dr. Cook reaching the pole." (Ibid., September 3, 1909, p.2).
Less than a week later, Commander Robert Peary wired from Labrador that he had reached the Pole on April 6. New York Times, September 7, 1909, p.1. The Peary report was, if anything, even bigger news; the New York Times devoted five columns on page 1 and all of page 2 to the report and related stories. Because Peary was more experienced than Cook and better outfitted, and because his expedition was staffed to provide verification, there was little doubt in the U.S. and Europe that he had reached the Pole: "London Applauds Peary's Exploit - Instant Acceptance of His Report a Contrast to the Skepticism Toward Dr. Cook" (ibid.); "Paris Believes Peary" (ibid., p.2). The same was true in Germany, where "the editorial comment indicates the immense sensation the news has made in Berlin." Ibid. Further evidence of the "sensation" came the following day, when the Times printed excerpts from the Germany press quoting 11 scientists on the subject: "German Opinion Divided - Peary's Report Accepted - Dr. Cook's Claims Have Many Champions." Ibid., September 8, 1909, p.2.
It seems likely that this map was prepared in or shortly after September 1909, as a satirical comment on the news frenzy. It shows Uncle Sam (with a bottle in his back pocket) astride a sea-horse in the shape of North America, riding toward the North Pole. The legend reads "Hurry up, 'Uncle Sam' with corned beef, with stuffed shrimp - Yes, go there with Your Ham: Look, the North Pole beckons you!" It was produced by Edgar Schmidt, a printer and publisher active in Dresden from about 1898 to about 1913.
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.