The scarecrow of the Pacific
Subject(s): Bald eagle, Battleships, Crows, Japan, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)
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An American bald eagle carries a scarecrow that looks like Uncle Sam, with battleships for hat, hands, and feet, across the Pacific Ocean toward “Japan,” where crows wearing military uniforms stand on the shore. The sun is rising in the background.
Comments and Context
Displaying more than a little cynicism, Puck magazine and its cartoonist J. S. Pughe portrayed the upcoming departure of the Great White Fleet from San Francisco in December 1908, a few months hence. A few months earlier, President Roosevelt’s secretary William Loeb confirmed rumors and announced the purpose of the circumnavigational cruise on August 23.
Pughe mockingly underplays the status of America’s naval forces, but correctly perceives one of the battle group’s main goals — to impress the world, and Japan especially, with America’s might.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1907-10-16
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The scarecrow of the Pacific. [October 16, 1907]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285900. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. The scarecrow of the Pacific. [16 Oct. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285900.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1907, October 16]. The scarecrow of the Pacific.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285900.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
