Childe Hassam’s Allies Day, May 1917 is an American Impressionist masterpiece. The artwork is one of many paintings in a series that features flags on display on Fifth Avenue in New York City from around 1916 to 1919. These paintings were created during World War I, and Hassam’s artwork depicts the patriotic fervor that gripped America during this time.
Allies Day, May 1917 is particularly notable as it reflects Woodrow Wilson’s declaration that the United States would support the Allies in World War I. The painting showcases a sea of fluttering colors on midtown Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue as America entered WWI. It is believed that the painting was set up along Fifth Avenue and measures approximately one meter in height.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC has a permanent collection of this painting by Childe Hassam. This iconic piece represents how art can reflect history and inspire patriotism for generations to come. Hassam’s flag paintings were first shown as a group in New York’s Durand-Ruel Gallery in November 1918, just after the end of World War I. Today, these artworks serve as visual documents of an era where America showed its support for its allies across the pond.
