A remarkable series of eleven hand-painted Bicentennial-era posters with bold and striking vernacular artwork, celebrating the best of American ideals while also highlighting its ills.  

Each poster is a riot of imagery and exhortatory text, packing a great deal of meaning into a small space. Thematically binding the group is “‘Sam, Jr.’, the son of Uncle Sam”, cleverly constructed from the letters “S”, “A”, and “M.” He appears on each poster, occasionally at the center of the action—hefting a swordfish labeled “The Spirit of 76” (#2), mounted on a bald eagle in flight (#3), or tangled in a nest of cords representing problems facing the nation (#10). More frequently he is an observer—framed by a giant crucifix labeled “God Bless America” (#5); adrift at sea, the waves labeled “inflation,” “corruption,” and the like; or gawking at a kraken, each of whose legs represents a social ill (#7).

The posters include much text, in aggregate conveying a particular patriotic sensibility that places American values squarely in the Christian tradition. But there’s also a dollop of homespun wisdom and even a soupçon of environmentalism. A few examples:

“Constructive thoughts and actions are vital to us all if we the people are to exist on the planet earth. Be tolerant and think before you act.” (#1)

“The Spirit of 76 [:] Clean Air [:] Clean Minds [:] Clean Waters [:] Clean Earth.”

“Quality and service are two links in the chain of life that must be good and reliable if we are to be successful in our endeavors as an individual, a business, or a nation.” (#6)

“Like a giant squid, arms of man reach for the dollar; and minds lose the true sense of values in life.” (#7)

“‘The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.’ (Genesis 6-11) Answer the ‘S.O.S.’ by using the ‘oar of cooperation’ to stem the rising flood waters. The soul you save may be your own.” (#8)

In keeping with the Christian underpinnings of the group, on all but one of the posters Sam is overseen by the Eye of Providence, a Renaissance symbol representing God’s oversight of human affairs. In 1782 the Eye was appropriated for the Great Seal of the United States, and to this day it appears on the reverse of the $1 bill.

The posters are numbered on the reverse sides from 1 through 11, though it appears that originally the group included a 12^th, now lost. In spite of the numbering there does not seem to be a narrative arc or developing argument; to the contrary, the messages shift from celebration to exhortation to admonition and back again. This makes sense: The posters are variously dated between 1975 and 1981, a time when the United States was both celebrating its bicentennial and processing Vietnam, Watergate, inflation, environmental anxiety, racial conflict, and a broader crisis of confidence.

Fischer’s posters embody the ambivalence of the historical moment, at one moment celebrating the American project and at the next calling it to account for its failings. In this context, the Eye of Providence may serve overlapping purposes: invoking the iconography of the founding era and connecting the nation with its Christian roots, while embodying Fischer’s warnings about corruption, greed, pollution, and civic decline. It frames Sam Jr. as a kind of national prophet, trying to steer America back toward its better self.

Frederick W. Fischer
Essentially nothing is known of Frederick W. Fischer, who appears to have been a Pittsburgh-area amateur or self-taught artist active in the mid 1970s and early 1980s.[1] His address, recorded on the poster labels as “1235 Washington Road, Pittsburgh,” places him in Mt. Lebanon, just south of the city. The text of poster #6, which asserts that “Quality and service are two links in the chain of life” has the feel of someone operating a small retail or service business, but that’s just a guess. Taken together, the posters suggest an artist deeply rooted in his Christian faith and, through that lens, deeply engaged with Bicentennial-era debates over patriotism, inflation, ecology, political corruption, and American civic identity.

Clever images of an important social and cultural moment in American history, in a visually compelling vernacular style and well worthy of display.

[1] While Ancestry.com does have Frederick W. Fischers in Pittsburgh, none could plausibly have drawn these posters.