Childe Hassam, a leading American Impressionist known for capturing the bustle of the city and the calm of the coast, is best remembered for his patriotic paintings of the home front during World War I. Allied Flags, Union League Club depicts the national flags of several Allies—including Japan, Belgium, Italy, the UK, France, Cuba, Portugal, Romania, and the US—fluttering outside the prominent New York social club. Hassam painted himself in the image as the man with the portfolio, perhaps to show that he, like all Americans, was personally involved in the war effort.
