Step into Pollyanna’s Antiques this week and you’ll find a tall gentleman in a star-spangled top hat waiting to greet you. This rare 1992 House of Hatten Uncle Sam stands proudly on his pedestal, a little flag in hand, looking every bit as cheerful as the day he was painted.
House of Hatten became beloved among collectors for holiday figures with a folk art soul, and this piece shows why. He has the look of a hand-carved wooden figure, with chiseled texture across his coat and trousers and a gentle, rosy-cheeked face peeking out from a snowy white beard. Nothing about him is slick or mass-produced in spirit. He feels like something a craftsman might have whittled by the fire.
Dressed in his very best
Look closely and the details keep coming. His tall hat is striped red and cream with a gold band and a single white star. A big red bow is tied at his collar, gold buttons line his cream vest, and his black tailcoat has gold-trimmed cuffs. His famous striped trousers run all the way down to black shoes, each one topped with a painted gold star. From one mittened hand hangs a small hand-painted flag on twisted wire, with two brass stars dangling beneath it and swaying whenever someone walks by.
His pedestal reads God Bless America in hand-lettered script, framed with gold stars and set on a black base dotted all the way around.
Uncle Sam himself has a long history. The character is traditionally traced to Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels stamped “U.S.” to soldiers during the War of 1812. More than two centuries later, he still makes a charming addition to a Fourth of July mantel, a Memorial Day table, or a collector’s shelf all year long.
Come say hello to him in person at Pollyanna’s Antiques, 287 North Avenue in downtown Mt. Clemens. We’re open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 to 4.