Uncle Sam
from Myths
Medium: Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board with diamond dust
Year: 1981
Sheet: 38×38 inches (96.5 x 96.5 cm)
Edition: 200
Artist’s Proofs: 30 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 5 PP
Exhibitor’s Proofs: 5 EP
Hors Commerce: 1 HC
Trial Proofs: 30 TP in unique color combination, most with diamond dust
(see Feldman & Schellmann IIB.259)
Publisher: Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New-York
Literature: Feldman & Schellmann II.259
Each signed in pencil, and numbered with the artist’s copyright inkstamps on the reverse
Uncle Sam is part of Myths
(Click on picture below to access the Catalogue Entry)
Andy Warhol included Uncle Sam in the portfolio because of the image’s symbolic relevance to the shaping of American culture, as Uncle Sam is the personified embodiment of the United States, often depicted in patriotic wear, encouraging young people to vote and to enlist in the military.
Uncle Sam, 1981
two unique polaroid prints
Each: 4¼ x 3⅜ inches (10.8 x 8.6 cm)
Uncle Sam depicts a lean man dressed in a swallow-tailed coat and colorful top hat. His features are rather plain and symmetrical, with no distinguishable wrinkles or creases, apart from his bushy eyebrows, stylized white hair, and chin whiskers. His expression remains neutral as he gazes out at the viewer. Unlike some prints in the Myths series that display darker backgrounds. Warhol chooses a light wash of yellow to highlight the patriotic colors that adorn the man’s clothing. He also uses a silkscreen layer to trace over the man with red and blue accents—a technique he employed frequently to accentuate the subjects of his photographs. Uncle Sam is decorated with shimmering diamond dust, crushed up bits of glass that catch light and create a radiant and sparkly texture.
Auction Market Overview
Auction Summary
| 2025 | Sold Twice 135/200 4/200 Average Price: USD 55,344 Auction Record Price: USD 75,600 @ Christie’s online on 14 February 2025 No Trial Proof sold at auction in 2025 |
| 2024 | Sold Once 198/200 @ Phillips New-York on 27 June 2024: USD 40,640 No Trial Proof sold at auction in 2024 |
| 2023 | Sold 4 Times 134/200 93/200 118/200 83/200 Average Price: USD 44,838 Top Price: USD 51,250 @ Heritage Auctions on 24 October 2023 No Trial Proof sold at auction in 2023 |
| 2022 | No Sale at Auction in 2022 116/200 was passed at Dorotheum in Vienna on 1 December 2022 |
| 2021 | Sold Once AP 3/30 @ Wright Chicago on 15 July 2021: USD 56,250 No Trial Proof sold at auction in 2021 |
| 2020 | Sold Once 199/200 @ Phillips New-York on 22 October 2020: USD 40,320 No Trial Proof sold at auction in 2021 |
Regular Editions
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
GBP 25,800 / USD 35,090
Signed and numbered 4/200 in pencil (there were also 30 artist’s proofs)
Christie’s online: 14 February 2025
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 75,600
NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR UNCLE SAM
ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Uncle Sam, from Myths (Feldman and Schellmann II.259), 1981
Screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 135/200 (there were also 30 artist’s proofs)
Phillips New-York: 27 June 2024
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 40,000
USD 40,640
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam, from Myths (F. & S. 259), 1981
Screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered 198/200 in pencil (there were also 30 artist’s proofs)
Heritage Auctions: 14 November 2023
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 40,000
USD 42,500
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam (from Myths), 1981
Screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed, numbered 93/200 and with printer’s chop mark on the reverse
Phillips New-York: 26 October 2023
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 38,100
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam, from Myths (F. & S. 259), 1981
Screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered 118/200 in pencil
Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 40,000
USD 51,250
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam, from Myths, 1981
Screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered 83/200 in pencil
Joshua Kodner Galleries: 12 August 2023
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 38,000 (Hammer)
USD 47,500
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam (from Myths), 1981
Screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered 134/200
Wright: 15 July 2021
Estimated: USD 50,000 – 70,000
USD 56,250
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam (from Myths), 1981
Screen-print in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered to lower right ‘AP 3/30 Andy Warhol’
This work is artist’s proof 3 of 30 apart from the edition of 200
Trial Proofs
Heritage Auctions: 14 November 2015
Estimated: USD 30,o00 – 40,000
USD 40,000
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam (from Myths), 1981
Unique screenprint in colors
Signed and inscribed TP 17/30 in pencil lower left
A Trial Proof aside from the edition of 200
Christie’s New-York: 27 April 2010
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 30,000
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam, from Myths (F. & S. IIB.259), 1981
Unique screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered ‘TP 2/30’
Christie’s Los Angeles: 13 December 1999
Estimated: USD 2,500 – 3,500
USD 4,830
ANDY WARHOL
Uncle Sam, for Myths (F. and S. B.259), 1981
Unique screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered ‘T.P. 19/30’
One of 30 unique color variants aside from the edition of 200 plus 30 artist’s proofs