U.S. Political Campaigns | PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine collections

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The great American What is it? chased by Copper-heads

An anti-Lincoln satire, showing the Republican incumbent and his supporters menaced by giant "Copperheads" (Peace Democrats). After a speech on May 1, 1863, asserting that the Civil War was being fought to fre... More

The open sesame / C.J. Taylor. - coin, public domain photograph

Print shows William McKinley as Ali Baba kneeling before a slightly opened door in the "High-Tariff Robber Barons Cave", holding a bag labeled "McKinley Boom Fund", which is being filled with coins issuing from... More

The guns of reciprocity - Political cartoon, public domain image

Cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt sitting in front of the U.S. Capitol reciting his June 13, 1902 message to Congress. On the left is a Cuban cannon firing a shot through a rolled sheet of paper, "Cuban reciproc... More

Reciprocal percentage frothy Cuban relief, Political Cartoon

Cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt and Republican House Majority Leader Sereno Payne holding full steins of beer. They each spit into an empty stein held by a man representing Cuba. At the foot of the man is a "c... More

"Bryan's my man--Who's yours?" / Keller.

Postcard showing a portrait of a woman of status with a caption saying, "Bryan's my man-Who's yours?", suggesting her support for William Jennings Bryan during his third bid for president in 1908 in which he us... More

Winslow Homer - Argument of the chivalry

A dramatic portrayal, clearly biased toward the northern point of view, of an incident in Congress which inflamed sectional passions in 1856. The artist recreates the May 22 attack and severe beating of Massach... More

Johnny Bull and the Alexandrians / Wm Charles, Ssc.

The citizens of Alexandria, Virginia, are ridiculed in this scene for their lack of serious resistance against the British seizure of the city in 1814. At left two frightened gentlemen kneel with hands folded,... More

Democratic platform illustrated, Political Cartoon

Another attack on the 1856 Democratic platform as pro-South and proslavery. The Buchanan-Breckenridge ticket is reviled on the basis of recent developments occurring during the outgoing Pierce administration. I... More

Polk in his extremity - Political cartoon, public domain image

Henry Clay's easy ascent to the presidency here is in contrast to the serious difficulties experienced by his Democratic opponent James K. Polk. Clay has reached the top of a large pole and has the "Civic Crow... More

Congressional pugilists. Book illustration from Library of Congress

A crude portrayal of a fight on the floor of Congress between Vermont Representative Matthew Lyon and Roger Griswold of Connecticut. The row was originally prompted by an insulting reference to Lyon on Griswold... More

Jeff's last shift. Capture of Jeff. Davis, May 10th, 1865, at Irwinsvi...

One of the less outlandish variations on the popular theme of Jefferson Davis's capture by Union soldiers. (See "The Chas-ed "Old Lady" of the C.S.A.," no. 1865-11.) In a wooded setting Davis, wearing a bonnet ... More

John Bull making a new batch of ships to send to the lakes / Charles, ...

A satire on British efforts to recover after major naval losses on the Great Lakes in 1813 and 1814. According to Lanmon, it is based on Thomas Rowlandson's 1798 satire "High Fun for John Bull or the Republica... More

Secession - Public domain historical image, Political Cartoon. A close...

Picture shows an African American boy and mother with a bundle running. Gladstone's inventory code and notes: Envelope 20; illustration of black mother and child; mother has animal-like head. "E20" inscribed o... More

[Lincoln & Douglas in a presidential footrace]. No. 1, 1860

Rival presidential nominees Lincoln and Douglas are matched in a footrace, in which Lincoln's long stride is a clear advantage. Both sprint down a path toward the U.S. Capitol, which appears in the background r... More

The looking glass for 1787. A house divided against itself cannot stan...

A satire touching on some of the major issues in Connecticut politics on the eve of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The two rival factions shown are the "Federals," who represented the trading inter... More

The true issue or "That's what's the matter"

In a rare pro-Democrat cartoon presidential aspirant George Brinton McClellan is portrayed as the intermediary between Abraham Lincoln and Confederacy president Jefferson Davis. Gen. McClellan is in the center ... More

Wanted a $15.000.000 loan for the C.S.A. / Hoyt [?].

Picture shows an African American boy looking at a sign that reads "Wanted a $15.000.000 loan for the C.S.A." Gladstone's inventory code and notes: Envelope 10; black boy in front of poster. Purchase; William ... More

A contested seat, US Democratic party

The artist anticipates a Whig victory in the 1852 presidential contest. The scene takes place in an interior, carpeted or tiled with a grid-and-star pattern. At left, Whig candidate Winfield Scott, in military ... More

Join or Die - A newspaper with a picture of a snake on it

Benjamin Franklin's warning to the British colonies in America "join or die" exhorting them to unite against the French and the Natives, shows a segmented snake, "S.C., N.C., V., M., P., N.J., N.Y., [and] N.E."... More

The debilitated situation of a monarchal government . . .

A pointed comparison of French and American governments, prompted by events surrounding American efforts in 1836 to force France to honor spoliation claims for American shipping losses suffered during the Napol... More

6 cents. Humbug glory bank - Public domain book illustration, Library ...

Another mock bank note parodying the "shinplasters" of the 1837 panic. Such small-denomination notes were based on the division of the Spanish dollar, the dominant specie of the time. Hence they were issued in ... More

New edition of MacBeth. Bank-oh's! Ghost

Another satire on the Panic of 1837, again condemning Van Buren's continuation of predecessor Andrew Jackson's hard-money policies as the source of the crisis. Clay shows the president haunted by the ghost of C... More

Fifty cents. Shin plaster - Public domain scan / drawing

Another mock shinplaster (see also nos. 1837-9 and -10 above). Again the artist attributes the shortage of hard money to the successive monetary programs of presidents Jackson and Van Buren, particularly to the... More

An exploring expedition on the Canal Street plan / The exploring exped...

Print satirizes Charles Wilkes' United States Exploring Expedition, which left in August 1838. The upper left vignette shows Wilkes in a rowboat with scientists who use a transit or telescope to see fauna. The ... More

This log cabin was the first building erected on the North Bend . . .

A Whig campaign print, showing William Henry Harrison greeting a wounded veteran before a log cabin by a river. The cabin flies an American flag with the words "Harrison & Tyler" and with a liberty cap on its s... More

The two bridges - Political cartoon, public domain image

As in "Texas Coming In" (no. 1844-28), a bridge over Salt River is the central motif, making the difference between the Whigs' successful crossing to the "Presidential Chair" and the disastrous route taken by t... More

Fight between the Kentucky coon & the Tennessee alligator

A woodland fantasy satirizing the prominent figures of the 1844 election campaign. The artist again favors Whig candidate Henry Clay, the "Kentucky Coon," who is shown overwhelming Democrat James K. Polk, the ... More

Loco Foco triumphal honors - Public domain book illustration, Library ...

A mock triumphal procession ridiculing "Loco Foco" or radical Democratic support of candidates James K. Polk and George M. Dallas. The Loco Focos are portrayed as ragged Irishmen, carrying the two candidates on... More

Santa Anna declining a hasty plate of soup at Cerro Gordo

An exultant view of Winfield Scott's second major victory in the Mexican War, at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, where Mexican commander Santa Anna beat an unceremonious retreat. In the mid-April victory Santa Anna'... More

Who says gas? Or the Democratic b-hoy

A pro-Democrat satire, pitting Democratic candidate Lewis Cass against Whig nominee Zachary Taylor in a bout for the presidency. Cass (center) is the obvious favorite. He wears the stovepipe hat, boots, bold pl... More

Cass & his cabinet in 1849 - Political cartoon, public domain image

The satire imputes to the Democrats of 1848, led by candidate Lewis Cass, the corrupt practices of the Van Buren-era party. The artist also criticizes Whig repudiation of stalwart party leader Henry Clay in fav... More

Knock'd into a cock'd hat - Public domain scan / print

Zachary Taylor's presidential nomination at the Whig national convention in Philadelphia on June 9, 1848, is represented as a severe blow to Lewis Cass, nominated by the Democrats a few weeks earlier. The extre... More

The modern Gilpins. Love's labor lost

A parody of Democratic politics in the months preceding the party's 1848 national convention. Specifically, the artist ridicules the rivalry within the party between Free Soil or anti-slavery interests, which u... More

Grand set to between rough and ready and Genal. Gas

Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass engage in a bout of fisticuffs in their battle for the presidency in 1848. Taylor, clearly getting the better of his opponent, seizes Cass by the lapels saying, "A little more gra... More

Self-inflating pillow. Book illustration from Library of Congress

American general Gideon J. Pillow's self-promoting attempts to discredit Mexican War commander Gen. Winfield Scott are ridiculed in this portrayal of Scott puncturing "Polk's Patent" pillow. Pillow's efforts we... More

The game-cock & the goose - Political cartoon, public domain image

A pro-Whig cartoon showing rival candidates Winfield Scott and Franklin Pierce in a race for the presidency in 1852 before an audience of animated spectators. Scott, in uniform and looking uncharacteristically... More

The gladiators of the Senate! The bulley's of the House

The artist parodies recent outbreaks of violence in Congress, and offers a pointed comparison between the elevated rhetorical sparring in the Senate and a more physical brand of combat in the House of Represent... More

The poor soldier & his ticket for soup

The presidential aspirations of Whig general Winfield Scott during the 1852 election are again belittled. Scott, in a tattered uniform and supporting himself on a crutch, extends his feathered cap toward the fi... More

Liberty, the fair maid of Kansas--in the hands of the "border ruffians...

A bitter indictment of the Democratic administration's responsibility for violence and bloodshed in Kansas in the wake of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act. (See also "Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Freesoiler... More

The morning after the election--November 1856

The victorious James Buchanan sits under a trellis of grape vines, holding reports of election returns on his lap. He reflects, "What a happy morning for my country and myself. Here I find returns for myself & ... More

The political quadrille. Music by Dred Scott

A general parody on the 1860 presidential contest, highlighting the impact of the Dred Scott decision on the race. That controversial decision, handed down in 1857 by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, ruled that ne... More

Uncle Sam protecting his property against the encroachments of his cou...

Northern fears of European intervention in the Civil War on behalf of the South are manifest here.Uncle Sam, in the form of a bearded Union soldier (closely resembling Abraham Lincoln), unceremoniously routs Jo... More

In memorium--our civil service as it was

Cartoon showing statue of Andrew Jackson on pig, which is over "fraud," "bribery," and "spoils," eating "plunder." Illus. in: Harper's weekly, 1877 April 28, p. 325.

"The minority be d---d!" / Dalrymple.

Political cartoon showing Speaker of the House Thomas Brackett Reed holding gavel and ribbons "rules" and "new arbitrary rules" around members of Congress, including Amos Jay Cummings, Samuel J. Randall, and Ro... More

[In the interests of humanity and the American sugar refining combine]

Cartoon shows Republican House Majority Leader Sereno Payne sitting on the Republican side of the U.S. House of Representatives chamber dangling a fishing line over the Democratic side. The fish hook is labeled... More

[Reciprocal percentage frothy Cuban relief], Political Cartoon

A dress rehearsal for the road / Keppler.

Illustration shows Charles W. Fairbanks, dressed as a Rough Rider, standing in front of a mirror and seeing himself as Theodore Roosevelt.

The world's constable / Dalrymple ; Sackett & Wilhelms Litho. & Ptg. C...

Print shows President Theodore Roosevelt as a constable standing between Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa with a truncheon labeled The New Diplomacy. Illus. in. Judge, v. 48, no. 1213 (January 14, 1905),... More

What to do with an ex-president Work in sight for Mr. Roosevelt / / Ba...

Newspaper clipping of cartoon showing Theodore Roosevelt with a feather duster approaching Senator Thomas Platt, covered with cobwebs. Cartoon refers to speculation that Roosevelt would vie for Platt's Senate p... More

A scene on the frontiers as practiced by the "humane" British and thei...

Charles denounces British and Indian depredations on the American frontier during the War of 1812, alluding specifically to the practice of offering bounties for American scalps. The cartoon may have been prom... More

A black and white drawing of a man standing next to a cabin ["Harrison...

An untitled woodcut, bold in design, apparently created for use on broadsides or banners during the Whigs' "log cabin" campaign of 1840. In front of a log cabin, a shirtsleeved William Henry Harrison welcomes a... More

Congressional pugilists - Engraving, Public domain image

The looking glass for 1787. A house divided against itself cannot stan...

Columbia teaching John Bull his new lesson / S[amuel] Kennedy, del. ; ...

A War of 1812 satire on Anglo-American and Franco-American relations. England's "lesson" is about the seriousness of American determination to maintain freedom on the high seas, while France is warned of Yanke... More

Footrace, Pennsylvania Avenue. Stakes $25,000, Political Cartoon

The race for a $25,000 prize (the president's salary) is a metaphor for the 1844 campaign. The favored contender here is Henry Clay. The other runners are James K. Polk and John Tyler, while commentaries are of... More

Uncle Sam and his servants - Political cartoon, public domain image

An anti-Tyler satire, lampooning the incumbent's efforts to secure a second term against challengers Henry Clay and James Polk. With his shoulder to the door Tyler bars the entry of (left to right) John C. Cal... More

The assassination of the Sage of Ashland

The artist conveys some of the profound disappointment and anger among Henry Clay's many supporters at the nomination of Zachary Taylor at the June 1848 Whig convention in Philadelphia. The convention's act was... More

President (C)ass beginning operations, losing no time

Once again, Lewis Cass is attacked as a militaristic expansionist. (See "A War President," no. 1848-16.) His support during the 1846 Oregon boundary dispute of the expansionist 54 40' parallel and his War of 1... More

Smoking him out - Political cartoon, public domain image

A humorous commentary on Barnburner Democrat Martin Van Buren's opposition to regular Democratic party nominee Lewis Cass. Van Buren and his son John were active in the Free Soil effort to prevent the extensio... More

Shooting the Christmas turkey - Political cartoon, public domain image

While Democratic and Whig candidates debate strategies to win the presidency, or "shoot the Christmas turkey," Free Soil candidate Martin Van Buren makes off with the bird. At left Democrat Lewis Cass (facing f... More

The fish question settled - Public domain print

A facetious, and somewhat racist, look at public opinion surrounding the controversy over American fishing rights in British-controlled waters off North America. (See also "John Bull's Fish Monopoly," no. 1852-... More

Soliciting a vote - Political cartoon, public domain image

A cynical view of party competition for the working man's vote in the presidential campaign of 1852. In a polling place, four candidates struggle to force their own election ticket on a short, uncouth-looking c... More

Harmony in the wigwam! Democracy of the right brand-y

A comic scene ridiculing the Tammany Democrats of New York City. Tammany headquarters, known as the "Wigwam," here erupts in a drunken fracas over the Democratic platform for the presidential race of 1852. The ... More

Position of the Democratic Party in 1852. "Freemen of America, how lon...

A crudely drawn satire bitterly attacking Democratic presidential candidate Franklin Pierce and appealing to the "Freemen of America." The print, possibly executed by a free black, criticizes the Democrats' pla... More

"Buck" taking the "pot" - Drawing. Public domain image.

A pro-Buchanan satire, critical of the divisive or sectionalist appeal of the other two presidential contenders in the 1856 race. "Buck" or Buchanan (left) has evidently won a card game over Fremont (fallen at ... More

Forcing slavery down the throat of a freesoiler

The artist lays on the Democrats the major blame for violence perpetrated against antislavery settlers in Kansas in the wake of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Here a bearded "freesoiler" has been bound to the "Democr... More

The great Presidential race of 1856

An animated comic scene ridiculing the Democratic and American party candidates. In the foreground is a somewhat rickety wooden "Democratic Platform," into which presidential candidate James Buchanan has just r... More

David and Goliath, Washington, D.C., Political Cartoon

The battle for the presidency between Greeley and incumbent Ulysses S. Grant is portrayed here in biblical terms. In a mountainous desert landscape Greeley, as David armed with a slingshot loaded with quill and... More

The Cuban Gordian-Knot - Political cartoon, public domain image

Cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt and Republican House Majority Leader Sereno Payne tightening a knot in a cord "Tariff Law 1897 [paragraph] 209 16 Dutch" around the waist of a man "Cuba" holding a "cane knife."... More

Treed at last - Political cartoon, public domain image

Cartoon shows Republican House Majority Leader Sereno Payne, the head of the American Sugar Refining Company, Henry O. Havemeyer, and a Republican elephant in the top of a tree labeled "Sugar Trust." The roots ... More

Witholding [i.e. withholding] the goods of the last ditchers

Cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt holding sheet of paper "Senate messenger. Call around April 23." while exchanging another sheet of paper "Report beet sugar. Secty of Agriculture March 26" with Henry Osborne Ha... More

Diplomacia infantil - Political cartoon, public domain image

Cartoon shows Cuban Minister to the U.S. Gonzalo de Quesada presenting a pot 'Olla Podrida" (Potpourri) filled with "Reciprocidad Mercantil" (Trade reciprocity), "Aspiraciones Americanas" (American aspirations)... More

Not one for reciprocity but millions for investment and annexation

Cartoon shows man "Sugar Refining Trust" pushing a wheelbarrow full of bags of money labeled "For Cuban Investment." A child "Philippino" rides atop the money "Cuban-American Reciprocity Bureau, Washington, D.C."

Pick a winner - Political cartoon, public domain image

Cartoon shows an unidentified man, possibly Attorney General Philander Knox, on the left holding sheet "Remove Dutch standard technicality [paragraph] 209 Tariff Law 1897" and Henry Thomas Oxnard on the right h... More

Looks different on the other side of his face U.S. Senate - Oh, come n...

Newspaper clipping of cartoon showing Theodore Roosevelt holding a piece of paper "Decision not to go to the United States Senate" while an oversized man "The U.S. Senate" extends him a hand while wiping away a tear.

Town & country making another drive at the great question.--No go!!

A mild reproof of Zachary Taylor's evasion of the slavery question in the campaign of 1848. Although Taylor's views were widely broadcast in the form of published letters, his stand on the main issue--the Wilmo... More

Con-g-ss embark'd on board the ship Constitution of America bound to C...

In July 1790 Congress decided to move the seat of the federal government from its original site in New York to Washington, with Philadelphia as an interim capital. The unidentified satirist gives a cynical view... More

Congressional pugilists - Engraving, Public domain image

An available candidate--the one qualification for a Whig president

Political cartoon showing man in military uniform, with epaulets and plumed hat, holding sword and seated on pile of skulls. A scathing attack on Whig principles, as embodied in their selection of a presidentia... More

An available candidate--the one qualification for a Whig president

The times - A drawing of a group of men standing in front of a buildin...

A commentary on the depressed state of the American economy, particularly in New York, during the financial panic of 1837. Again, the blame is laid on the treasury policies of Andrew Jackson, whose hat, spectac... More

Where's my thunder? - Political cartoon, public domain image

Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress) Exhibited: "Capitol Visitor Center" at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., 2013.

Cartoon - Drawing. Public domain image., Political Cartoon

Cartoon shows crowds of children being plunged into the water on water wheel.

A scene on the frontiers as practiced by the humane British and their ...

An anonymous copy of a print by William Charles in 1812; cruder but similar in detail. Lanmon cites copies in reverse of the Charles print with the signature "LG," but this copy is neither reversed nor signed.... More

A foot-race - Public domain drawing

A figurative portrayal of the presidential race of 1824. A crowd of cheering citizens watch as candidates (left to right) John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson stride toward the finish. Henry... More

"This is the house that Jack built . . ."

Caricature shows Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Francis Blair, William J. Duane, and others, with various animals. A crudely-drawn, anonymous satire on the Jackson Administration, alleging political intrigue... More

Political game of brag. Shew of hands

The artist resorts to the familiar metaphor of a card game for the presidential stakes in his rendition of the 1848 contest. The major contenders play a game of "brag" (an early form of poker). Around the tabl... More

The sad parting between two old friends

Senators Thomas Hart Benton and Henry S. Foote are paired here in a facetious farewell scene, as Benton departs the "Shop of the Senate." In reality Benton lost his Senate seat in a January 1851 election, large... More

A magnificent offer to a magnificent officer

A cartoon ridiculing Whig nominee Winfield Scott as the pawn of New York antislavery senator William Seward. A member of the "Whig Committee" kneels before Scott and offers him a crown and a bag of money marked... More

5 to one ha, Confederate States of America.

Another show of Northern optimism in the early months of the Lincoln administration. Uncle Sam approaches from the left holding a bayonet, causing five Southern soldiers to flee in panic to the right. In their ... More

The meeting of the friends, City Hall Park

New York governor Horatio Seymour's famous "My Friends" speech, delivered from the steps of New York's City Hall during the draft riots, was widely misrepresented in the press. On the basis of reports such as t... More

The pending conflict, Confederate States of America.

A later, altered version of "The Pending Conflict" (no. 1863-10). Albeit more optimistic from the Northern point of view than its earlier couterpart, this version is equally critical of European abetment of t... More

The true peace commissioners, Confederate States of America.

An angered response to false Confederate peace overtures and to the push for reconciliation with the South advanced by the Peace Democrats in 1864. (See also "The Sportsman Upset by the Recoil of His Own Gun," ... More

What I know about raising the devil

Horace Greeley's famous and widely ridiculed 1871 pamphlet "What I Know of Farming" provided the pretext for the title here. With the tail and cloven hoof of a devil Greeley (center) leads a small band of Liber... More

The lesson of the President's journey / J.S. Pughe.

Illustration shows representatives of the "Democratic, Republican, Populist, [and] Prohibition" parties carrying a larger-than-life-sized President McKinley on a sedan chair, and waving their hats as a show of ... More

An unexpected and agreeable (?) discovery, Political Cartoon

Cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt looking through a telescope at a glowing cloud "Resolutions Nov. 28 1902 for a Cuban reciprocity law" while Tasker Bliss places his hand over the lens of the telescope. Roosevel... More

Theodore Roosevelt - Sweetly monopolized, Political Cartoon

Cartoon shows a wealthy man "Sugar Trust" holding a cloth (?) labeled "Reciprocity" in his fist. Republican House Majority Leader Sereno Payne, a skeleton representing Cuba, and Theodore Roosevelt all pull on ... More

Cuban relief, U.S. labor laws ..., Political Cartoon

Cartoon shows Republican House Speaker Sereno Payne as a messenger delivering a sheet of paper "Cuban relief. U.S. labor laws. U.S. immigration law. 20% reduction reciprocity. April 1, '02" to a barefoot man "... More

[For better protection, wear blinders], Political Cartoon

Cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt and Republican House Majority Leader Sereno Payne walking arm in arm between two billboards, "Help Cuba grant 25% reduction and double stock," and "Notice! Help Cuba remove Dutc... More

The whole Dam-ocratic Party. Hail, hail, the gang's all here ...

Postcard showing six caricatures of William Jennings Bryan representing the Democratic Party(left to right): "Master Initiative & Referendum Democracy", "Old-time Socialist Democracy", General Democracy", "Mrs.... More

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