Columbia (personification)
More actions
Columbia is a female personification of the United States that appeared widely in 19th-century American political cartoons, most notably in the work of Thomas Nast.[1]
Origin
The figure emerged as a national symbol during the American Revolutionary War, first appearing in poet Phillis Wheatley's 1776 poem "To His Excellency General Washington."[1] Cartoon historian Donald Dewey has suggested Columbia developed out of Minerva, the Roman goddess of war, gradually displacing the British figure of Britannia as a classical stand-in for the young United States.[1]
Appearance and symbolism
Nast depicted Columbia as a classically draped female figure in the mold of Greek and Roman goddesses, reportedly modeled in the face on his wife Sarah, with a pronounced "Romanesque" nose and a determined expression; she is typically shown wearing a tiara or crown lettered "US" or "NYC" depending on the cartoon's subject.[1] Where the male figure of Uncle Sam represented the machinery of government, Columbia stood for the nation's democratic values, justice, and moral conscience, often cast as society's conscience in scenes of national crisis.[1]
Use by Nast
Nast began featuring Columbia near the end of the American Civil War, in 1864, using her to comment on fairness, tolerance, and the inclusion of all citizens within American democracy.[1]
Decline
Columbia's prominence as the leading female symbol of the United States faded after the 1886 unveiling of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty, whose figure of Lady Liberty gradually displaced her in popular imagery.[1]