Uncle Sam Shielding France from Germania c. 1917

This 1917 political cartoon by Charles Dana Gibson, "Uncle Sam Shielding France from Germania," uses the visual language of allegory to depict the United States' entry into World War I. Uncle Sam, a personification of the United States, protectively shields France from a domineering "Germania," representing Germany. This cartoon exemplifies the strong anti-German sentiment that fueled American public opinion during World War I. The use of caricature and symbolic imagery is characteristic of political cartoons of this period.