Saturday Evening Post Cover, July 5, 1913 1913

This is J.C. Leyendecker’s cover for The Saturday Evening Post, published on July 5th, 1913. At first glance, it’s a charming scene of patriotic children. But what does it mean to see such an idealized vision of American childhood on the eve of World War I, when nationalism was rising and the definition of ‘American’ was becoming increasingly narrow? The children, dressed in paper hats and sashes of red, white, and blue, mimic military dress, while one salutes the American flag. Their whiteness is central to the image’s message about who gets to perform and embody American patriotism. Leyendecker's images often walked a tightrope between celebrating and subtly critiquing the values of his time, revealing a complex relationship between identity, representation, and national myth-making. Think about what it means to see children, symbols of innocence, so explicitly tied to nationalistic fervor. It's both touching and, perhaps, a little unsettling.