chapter one the official eagle 1
chapter two military & war 21
chapter three politics & protest
chapter four culture & entertainment
chapter five art & decoration 119
chapter six commerce 143
chapter seven the natural eagle 175
chapter eight travel & transportation 193
ROLF THOMPSON
Executive Director, National Eagle Center
the group of Purple Heart veterans fills the first two rows of the classroom at the National Eagle Center. They listen intently to the presentation about bald eagle biology, ecology, behavior, and the eagle’s remarkable recovery from near extinction in the lower forty-eight states. After about thirty minutes, the staff naturalist leaves the room to bring in one of the resident live eagles to be fed. When she returns carrying the magnificent bird, the room goes silent. Spontaneously, the veterans stand up as one and remove their hats. Very likely none of them has ever been so close to a live eagle, the symbol of inspiration for generations of American military personnel. Later I take the group to visit the center’s small gallery of eagle art. Having learned that a few of them are veterans of World War II, I ask if anyone had been in the army air corps. One ninety-something man raises his hand. I point to Wings Over America, a dynamic recruitment poster painted in 1939, when this gentleman would have been about eighteen years old. I ask them, “Why would the artist depict a bald eagle with army stars on its wings, flying in a squadron of P-35 fighter planes?” We talk about what the eagle symbolized to Americans in 1939, on the brink of a second world war – liberty, patriotism, strength – and about how such a poster might motivate a young man to enlist.
On another occasion, an extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins –many ages and generations – from around the country visit the National Eagle Center for the high school graduation of one of their own. This is a graduate with a story: within the past year, both parents passed away from illnesses. The family has gathered to celebrate and support in the presence of eagles, a symbol of strength, endurance, perseverance, and hope.
At an annual wacipi (powwow) hosted by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, I watch hundreds of dancers abruptly clear the
dancing grounds so that four elders can perform an elaborate ritual dance: For fifteen minutes they circle an eagle feather that has dropped from a dancer’s regalia and is lying on the ground. Such is its sacredness that a fallen eagle feather is retrieved in this prescribed ceremonial manner.
The National Eagle Center has always connected people with eagles in nature, thereby enhancing appreciation of this American symbol and aiding in the recovery of its population. When Preston Cook came to us in 2013 and proposed to donate his immense collection of eagle art and memorabilia (more than twenty-five thousand objects) to the National Eagle Center, we were honored. We realized that the collection would help people connect with eagles in additional ways, through American history, culture, and daily life – indeed, as the collection demonstrates, eagles are everywhere in American life.
As I’ve gotten to know and appreciate Preston Cook over the past few years, I’ve learned that a collector is never finished collecting, and a collection is never complete. Preston will admit to no favorite item in the collection, saying that it would be “like choosing a favorite child.”
The objects selected for this book were not chosen because he favored them; in fact, I suspect the most difficult thing for him about writing this book was having to leave things out.
At the National Eagle Center we are extremely grateful to Preston Cook for his gift, and we are excited to share the collection with the world. This book offers an introduction to the collection as well as a remarkable look at American life and history. I am confident that readers will discover things that are meaningful to their lives and worthy of reflection, appreciation, and reverence – “stand and remove your hat” moments.
you may never have witnessed a bald eagle in flight, but more than likely you have carried its likeness on a dollar bill or a quarter. The bald eagle is truly an American bird, found in every US state on the continent as well as in Canada. Although it has never been formally recognized by an act of Congress, the bald eagle, also called the American eagle, has been considered our national bird since 1782, when it became the central figure of the Great Seal of the United States.
Contrary to popular belief, Benjamin Franklin, who served on the first committee to design the great seal, never advocated for the turkey to be on the great seal rather than the eagle. The story about the turkey comes from a letter he wrote nearly two years after the great seal was adopted. He was writing to his daughter about a newly formed patriotic hereditary society called the Society of the Cincinnati, which had chosen an eagle for its emblem. Franklin was critical of the society’s hereditary criterion, which he felt showed an inclination toward lineage that was antithetical to the war of independence the country had just fought. For that reason Franklin caricatured the eagle as a symbol of aristocracy in that instance, deriding its qualities as a scavenger, saying that the eagle “is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly,” and adding that “the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird.”
As birds of prey eagles are scavengers as well as hunters. They are also fierce, fast, tenacious, and powerful opponents that dominate the territories they inhabit, qualities that have made them a popular heraldic emblem throughout human history. In heraldry they are often drawn upright – the way the bald eagle appears on the great seal – a formal expression of the bird’s majesty, which is so evident when it is perched on a treetop or soaring in the sky. The bald eagle’s impressive stature and natural nobility are compatible with the notion of independence that continues to be a part of American identity, and which the eagle still eloquently represents after more than two hundred years.
I have been collecting American eagle art and memorabilia for fifty years. Collecting started out as a hobby, but as the collection grew I began to notice that it was a way of looking at American history, through the lens of this well-loved icon. There are of course other national symbols: the flag, Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty. But the bald eagle is distinctive in a couple of ways. For one thing it is an actual living symbol; you can see eagles in nature, in zoos, and in raptor rehabilitation centers and educational organizations such as the National Eagle Center, where eagles are kept if they have been found injured and are unable to survive in the wild. After two centuries of being our neighbors as well as our country’s emblem, the bald eagle has become a kind of national pet, untamed and free yet so familiar with its distinctive white head. The eagle is also an extremely versatile symbol, used to promote or decorate almost any American object or service you can think of. Some years ago I was in a shop where found several items I wanted to purchase for the collection, and I took them to the counter, where the shop owner looked at what I’d laid down: a cookie cutter, a badge, military insignia, and a magazine cover. She asked me what I collected; she was unable to find a relationship among the items. “Eagles,” I answered. That is the nature of my collection, a simple fascination with all things related to the American eagle.
This book came about as I began to catalog and photograph my collection of eagle antiques, art, collectibles, and Americana. I started thinking about reacquainting people with this all-too-familiar emblem, of reintroducing images of the eagle that you’ve perhaps seen all your life but not noticed, and offering up new images you may have never seen. My aim in this book is to demonstrate how this living symbol is woven into the fabric of American life, and to bring you more in touch with this marvelous bird.
10 One-dollar silver certificate, series of 1899, obverse. 3⅛ x 7⅜ inches. Silver certificates could be exchanged for silver dollars and were in circulation until the mid-twentieth century. This certificate is called the Black Eagle.
11 One dollar bill, reverse, 1918. 3½ x 8¼ inches. Called the Flying Eagle.
12 Twenty-dollar (double eagle) gold coin, reverse, 1924, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, designer, Charles E. Barber, engraver. 1⅜ inches diameter. President
Theodore Roosevelt commissioned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign several coins. The gold twenty-dollar coin was initially produced in ultra-high relief, with unusually raised features and rim, but it was labor-intensive to make and the high relief made the coins difficult to stack, so the design was modified. A forward-striding Lady Liberty is on the obverse.
13 Silver quarter, reverse, 1926, Hermon A. MacNeil, designer. 1 inch diameter.
14 Peace dollar, reverse, 1928, Anthony de Francisci, designer. 1½ inches diameter. Silver. San Francisco mintmark. The Peace dollar was issued to commemorate the end of World War I. A profile bust of Lady Liberty is on the coin’s obverse.
15 Walking Liberty silver half dollar, reverse, 1946, Adolph A. Weinman, designer. 13⁄16 inches diameter.
The photo immediately beneath it is the obverse image, featuring the Walking Liberty.
16 Silver dollar, reverse, 1986, Adolph A. Weinman and John Mercanti, designers. 1⅝ inches diameter. Called the American Silver Eagle, the coin contains “1 Oz. Fine Silver.” John Mercanti designed the eagle on the reverse, and Adolph A. Weinman’s Walking Liberty is on the obverse.
17 Quarter coin, reverse, 1964, John Flanagan, designer. ⅞ inch diameter. Silver and copper. This coin was first struck in 1932 to honor the bicentennial of the inauguration of the first president, George Washington, whose profile bust is on the obverse.
18 Susan B. Anthony dollar, reverse, 1999, Frank Gasparro, US Mint chief engraver, designer. ⅞ inch diameter. The coin is named after women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony, the first woman (other than an allegorical one) on a US coin. The image shown here, on the reverse, of an eagle flying above the moon with Earth in the background, is based on the Apollo 11 mission insignia.
1 Eagle Creek Volunteer Fire Department badge, V.H. Blackinton & Co., Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts, n.d. 3 x 2¼ inches. Gold finish on metal.
2 Eagle H & L 1 fire helmet shield, Ocean Grove Fire Department, New Jersey, Cairns & Brother, New York, 1970–90. 6¼ x 4¾ inches. Leather. “H & L” stands for hook and ladder.
3 Eagle Hose 1 badge, Pittston, Pennsylvania, ca. 1900. 2¼ x 1½ inches. Metal. The Eagle Hose Company no. 1 originated as the Pittston Hose Company in the mid-1800s. The image on the badge is of a late-nineteenthcentury fire-hose carriage, which had large front and back wheels, a middle wheel for the wound-up fire hose, and lanterns on either end.
4 Eagle Hose & Chemical Co. York Fire Department No. 7 badge, York, Pennsylvania, C.G. Braxmar Co., New York, 1920s–30s. 2¾ x 1¾ inches.
5 Side view, Eagle Ladder “high eagle” fire helmet, Cairns & Brother, New York, manufacturer, early 1900s. 9 x 10 x 14 inches. Black leather and brass. The helmet has the initials JFB at the bottom front.
6 Fire truck bell, 1920s. 13 x 10 inches. Brass and bronze. The bell originally had a chrome finish.
7 Eagle Fire Department firefighter badge, Eagle, Wisconsin. V.H. Blackinton & Co., Attleboro, Massachusetts, late 1900s. 3⅛ x 1¾ inches. Metal.
8 Eagle 2 “high eagle” fire helmet, Eagle Steam Fire Engine Co., Hanover, Pennsylvania, early 1900s. 9 x 10 x 14½ inches. Red leather. Side (above) and front (below) views of the helmet.
9 Eagle H & L Co. No. 1 badge, Avenel, New Jersey, 1900s. 2 x 2 inches. Metal.
the eagle ’s fierce natural power has made it the principal messenger of independence, determination, and strength during US wars and conflicts. Although certainly not the first people to use the eagle as a military icon, Americans of all backgrounds have embraced it with such consistency and flair, particularly during wartime, that the bald eagle has become an internationally recognized symbol of the United States.
The regional militias and navies that replaced the disbanded Continental Army after the Revolutionary War generally supplied their own uniforms and weaponry. They turned to local tailors and artisans, whose designs embellished belts, swords, and other gear. Once the great seal was introduced in 1782, it became the model for military decoration, and as further modifications were made to the seal and artisans crafted their own interpretations, inconsistencies in design emerged: the eagle’s profile sometimes faced right and sometimes left; the olive branch and arrows appeared in either claw. Variations like these helped to foster a persistent myth that the eagle’s profile faces the arrows when the nation is at war and the olive branch in times of peace.
During the Civil War the Union claimed the eagle, frequently portraying it with a snake (symbolizing the Confederacy) ensnared in its powerful beak and talons. Printed and hand-drawn patriotic envelopes were popular during the war and added to the imagery. By the end of the nineteenth century, the US had won the Spanish-American War and become a world power, symbolized by an American eagle with wings outstretched over the globe.
Some of the most beautiful and dramatic pieces in this book were produced during World Wars I and II, when gifted artists transformed the eagle’s natural characteristics into powerful images for wartime posters and medals. Soldiers serving in the trenches of World War I fashioned eagles on spent shells and other detritus, creating remarkable works now known as trench art. From WWII, the honorable discharge emblem, commonly called the ruptured duck, became so well known its image spilled over into civilian culture, appearing on bookends and license-plate toppers.
Subsequent wars and conflicts have not had the public support given to previous wars, and the eagle has not been put to widespread patriotic use in civilian culture. Within the armed forces the eagle has taken on new interpretations, such as the lethal, war-torn fighter on a handcrafted Vietnam War patch. In all its interpretations as well as in its traditional heraldic form, the American eagle maintains its preeminence as a symbol of proud, formidable power.
White-Headed Eagle with Union Shield and Constitution, detail, Julius Bien, printer, New York, 1861. 23⅞ x 36 inches. Color lithograph (digital print, 2006). Bien’s greatest work was the color-lithograph printing of 105 plates for the magnificent double-elephant folio of John James Audubon’s Birds of America
The eagle in this work, which depicts the threat to the US Constitution posed by the Civil War, was adapted from Bien’s White-Headed Eagle in Audubon’s book (see page 178).
WWI medals and pins:
1 “Do Right and Fear No Man” medal, Theodore Spicer-Simson, artist, 1917. 3¼ x 1 inches. Bronze and ribbon. A medal issued by the American Fund for the French Wounded, a relief organization for WWI soldiers founded by American women living abroad. Spicer-Simson, a respected portrait medalist, designed the obverse before the US entered the war. The shield carries Allied symbols: the ship for Great Britain, cock for France, cross for Italy, and lion for Belgium. The motto is from one of George Washington’s dress swords.
2 World War medal, 1917–18. 2¾ x 1½ inches. Metal and ribbon.
3 “Keep Us Out of War” pin, n.d. 1 x ½ inch. Brass and enamel.
4 Member, Liberty Loan Committee pin, Whitehead & Hoag Co., Newark, New Jersey, 1917–18. ⅝ inch diameter. Brass and enamel.
5 United States Forces, Kansas, medal, 1917–18. 3¼ x 1½ inches. Metal and ribbon.
6 Victory Liberty Loan medal, 1917–18. 3 x 1 inches. Metal and ribbon.
7 US War Savings Service armband, 1918. 2⅞ x 2¾ inches. Celluloid and ribbon.
8 State of Oregon World War Service medal, 1917–18. 2¾ x 1⅝ inches. Metal and ribbon.
9 Pennsylvania National Guard Mexican Border Service, medal, reverse, 1916. 2⅝ x 1½ inches. Bronze and ribbon.
10 “Victory” watch fob, 1917–18. 1½ x 1¼ inches. Sterling silver.
11 US Marine Corps pin, n.d. 1½ x 1¼ inches. Silver.
12 Shipbuilding War Service pin, 1917–18. 2¼ x 1⅝ inches. Brass.
13 Pillow cover, 1917–18. 23¾ inches square. Printed silk.
1 (opposite) American eagle destroying Nazi German and Japanese flags in midair, Ralph W. Iligan, artist, 1942. 26¾ x 22 inches. Oil on canvas. This work was used for a Liberty magazine cover (see this page, lower left). Iligan was a prolific illustrator and did many covers for Liberty, which was published from 1924 to 1951.
2 The Baltimore News-Post masthead, December 8, 1941. 4½ x 18½.
3 “War Bonds – In Action” poster, Boris Artzybasheff, artist. Wickwire Spencer Steel Company, New York, 1944. 42½ x 21½ inches. Ukrainian-born artist Boris Artzybasheff was famous for his surrealist style and depictions of anthropomorphic machines. His illustrations were on hundreds of magazine covers, notably Time and Life
4 “Speed Up Their Finish!” F. Haase, artist. National Process Company, New York, 1940s. 17 x 11 inches. Propaganda poster with American eagle swooping down on Hirohito, Hitler, and Mussolini.
5 “Defend Your Country” poster, Thomas B. Woodburn, artist. Spurgeon Tucker Co., New York, 1940. 12 x 8¾ inches. US Army recruitment poster.
6 Liberty magazine cover, April 18, 1942, Ralph W. Iligan, artist. 11⅛ x 8½.
7 “Wings Over America,” Thomas B. Woodburn, artist, 1939. 38 x 25¼ inches. A US Army Air Corps poster by Texan artist Major Thomas B. Woodburn, who was chief of the air corps recruiting publicity bureau, and editor and art director of Recruiting News The planes are Seversky P-35s, which became obsolete before the manufacturer was able to complete delivery to the army in 1938.
1 “Peace Is Patriotic” pinback button, 1970s. 1⅛ inch diameter. Celluloid and metal. A popular slogan from the era of the Vietnam War, which formally ended in 1973. The eagle design on the button is the same as the one on the Richard Nixon presidential campaign button on page 76.
2 Antiwar pinback button, 1970s. 2¼ inches diameter. Celluloid and metal. Because the eagle has been used throughout US history as a symbol of the country’s military strength and courage, its use on antiwar buttons is a pointed reclamation of the idea of patriotism.
3 Tea Party pinback button, ca. 2010. 1⅜ inches diameter. Celluloid and metal.
4 Bush-Cheney presidential-ticket campaign pinback button, 2000. 3 inches diameter. Celluloid and metal. The contentious 2000 presidential election was decided by the US Supreme Court in favor of Republicans George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, over Democrats Al Gore and John Kerry.
5 McCain-Palin presidential-ticket campaign pinback button, 2008. 3⅜ inches diameter. Celluloid and metal. Sarah Palin was the Republican Party’s first woman vice-presidential candidate.
6 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign pinback button, Graphic Politics, Toledo, Ohio, 2007. 2 x 2 inches. Celluloid and metal. Hillary Clinton lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama in 2008.
7 “Heroes USA” first day cover and cachet, June 7, 2002. The stamp commemorates emergency workers that provided aid during and after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The image on the stamp is Raising the Flag at Ground Zero, by photographer Thomas E. Franklin of the Record in Bergen County, New Jersey. The artist of the hand-drawn eagle is unknown.
8 Obama/Eagle, Jack Romero, artist, Chicago, 2008. 20 x 26 inches. Linocut.
9 Slayer Eagle, Shepard Fairey, artist, 2002. 24 x 18 inches. Silkscreen. Artist Shepard Fairey’s most famous work is the Obama Hope poster created during Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. This print is one of the Obey series that came out of Fairey’s initial sticker campaign, and the eagle comes from the logo of heavy-metal band Slayer.
10 Lesser Gods Eagle. Shepard Fairey, 2003. 24 x 18 inches. Screen print, artist’s proof. Another print from the Obey series.
the cultural history of the US abounds with eagles – civic associations, sports teams, and schools have all made the eagle part of their identities. This chapter is a tour of American civic and popular culture, from the Society of the Cincinnati through scouting, world fairs, carnival prizes, radio-show secret societies, and comic book superheroes. Their common denominator is the American eagle.
Some of the earliest social organizations in the US were hereditary patriotic societies formed after the Revolutionary War to preserve the memory and principles of the country’s founding events. Other civic associations offered fellowship; some promoted bigoted agendas. Many of them used the eagle in their crests and emblems. When scouting groups began in the early 1900s, they incorporated the eagle into their insignia and award systems. One of several images by twentieth-century artist Norman Rockwell in this chapter captures the ceremony awarding the rank of Eagle Scout, a Boy Scout’s highest achievement.
In the early era of world expositions, from the mid-1800s to the early decades of the 1900s, the idea of a global awareness was new, and it was a marvel to see exhibits from the world’s cultures gathered together. The US-hosted exposition souvenirs shown in this chapter carry the flavor of their exposition themes and of their times, and convey a sense of grandeur, idealism, and optimism also evident in the sheet music covers shown a few pages later.
In primary education the eagle has always been a familiar sight, included in alphabet books and used to decorate rewards of merit. In addition, children had eagle toys: eagle banks, kites, and candy prizes, and club badges decorated with outspread eagle wings. When Wonder Woman arrived in comic books, she wore an eagle emblazoned across her chest. Her costume has been renovated over the many years of her existence, but in the 2017 film Wonder Woman, the eagle is again front and center.
From the world of sports, souvenirs featured here include the memorabilia of several teams, notably the Negro National League’s Newark Eagles. Formed in 1936, the Eagles won the 1946 Negro World Series but played together for only two more years, once Jackie Robinson integrated major league baseball in 1947.
Everywhere in this chapter the eagle appears as the standard-bearer, urging members, scouts, kids, players, and fans to soar.
A Scout Is Loyal, detail, Norman Rockwell, artist. Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul, ca. 1969. 14 x 11 inches. Print. Norman Rockwell began working as an illustrator for the Boy Scouts of America at age eighteen, as a staff artist for Boys’ Life magazine. His partnership with the Boy Scouts spanned sixty-four years and generated hundreds of images for periodicals, guidebooks, calendars, and promotional materials. This image is from a reprint of the 1942 Boy Scout calendar. (See page 102 for a handheld fan with the same image.)
10 Philadelphia Eagles pinback button, Veterans Stadium, 1971. 6 inches diameter. Celluloid and metal.
11 Philadelphia Eagles uniform patch, 1960s. 3⅛ x 2¾ inches. Wool. Founded in 1933, the Philadelphia Eagles were named in honor of the eagle logo of the New Deal National Industrial Recovery Act (see page 16), passed that year.
12 Philadelphia Eagles pinback button, World Champions, 1981. 3 inches diameter. Celluloid and metal. The Eagles lost the 1981 Superbowl to the Oakland Raiders, 27–10; this button was likely made in anticipation of an Eagles win and not officially circulated.
13 Philadelphia Eagles poster, George Bartell, artist. NFL Collector Series, National Football League Properties, Inc., 1968. 36 x 24 inches.
2–9 Tattoo flashes, Amund Dietzel, attributed artist. 1917–67. Watercolor and ink. 3⅞ x 3 to 5½ x 4¾ inches. Three of these flashes, or predesigned tattoos, have been positively identified as Amund Dietzel’s work: the one at top left (2), the “U.S.N.” eagle (6), and the shaking hands image (9). The others are likely also his, with the exception of the one directly above (11); see the caption for that one below. Dietzel was born in Norway and settled in Milwaukee, where he was known as a traditional tattoo artist. He rarely dated or signed his flashes, and rarely varied his style. Eagle designs were always in great demand.
10 Photograph of tattooed man, photographer unknown, 1920s. 3½ x 5½ inches. A tattooed sailor with large flying eagle on his chest. On the upper part of his right arm is a smaller eagle with a snake, and on the upper part of his left arm another eagle. The tattoo on his left forearm identifies the USS Milwaukee as the ship on which he served.
11 Eagle with two flags tattoo flash, Robert W. Cleveland, attributed artist, n.d. 12 x 18 inches. Watercolor. This design appears to be more recent than the others on this page.
7 American Airlines sticker, Goodrich Murphy, designer, 1930s. 3 inches diameter. A label with the first American Airlines logo, created by AA divisional traffic manager Goodrich Murphy and used by the airline until 1945.
8 Continental Airlines sticker, 1950–60s. 3¾ x 4½ inches.
9 American Airlines: Mail – Passengers – Express sticker, 1930s. 3 inches diameter.
10 American Airlines decal, Massimo Vignelli, designer, ca. 1968. 4 x 6 inches.
11 American Airlines decal, FutureBrand, designer, 2013. 3½ inches diameter.
12 “The Red Badge of Confidence” AC Spark Plugs decal, ca. 1978. 6 x 5¼ inches.
13 United Airlines poster, Jebary, artist, 1967. 40½ x 25 inches. An airline travel poster using the great seal as a symbol for Washington, DC.
14 Stanavo Eagle Vega airplane bank, Liberty Classics, SpecCast, Dyersville, Iowa, 1992. 10⅞ x 7½ x 3 inches. Enameled die-cast metal. In the 1930s, when airplanes were a new and exciting form of travel and entertainment, companies decorated corporate planes for publicity purposes. The toy bank is modeled on the 1930 Lockheed Vega, called the Stanavo Eagle, owned by Standard Oil of New Jersey. The word vega derives from Arabic and translates as “descending eagle.”