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The whitwash is too thin / Gillam.

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The whitwash is too thin / Gillam.

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Summary

Print shows George F. Hoar standing in front of a monument that states "To the Eternal Shame of Massachus'tts - Conceived in Corruption Erected in Humanity [?] Tewkesbury"; his hat labeled "Republicans" is under one foot, the other foot in a bucket of whitewash labeled "The Republican Report", he is holding a large brush with which he has attempted to cover up the text on the stone. This cartoon refers to disturbing events that took place at the State Almshouse at Tewksbury, Massachusetts, prior to 1883.

Caption: The Republicans in Massachusetts make an attempt to cover their iniquity.
Illus. from Puck, v. 13, no. 334, (1883 August 1), cover.
Copyright 1883 by Keppler & Schwarzmann.

It wasn't really until the 1700s that caricature truly blossomed as a form of political criticism. In the late 1750s, a man named Thomas Townshend began using the techniques employed by earlier engravers and applying them towards a political model. This gave Thompson's cartoons a much greater feeling of propaganda than previous artistic critiques of the time. The intense political climate of the period, and often accusatory nature of most political cartoons forced many artists to use pseudonyms in order to avoid accusations of libel. Other artists took it a step farther, and left their cartoons completely unsigned, foregoing any credit they may have received. Political higher-ups were notoriously touchy about their reputations and were not afraid to make examples of offenders. Puck was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was published from 1871 until 1918.

Puck was founded by Austrian-born cartoonist Joseph Keppler and his partners as a German-language publication in 1876. Puck’s first English-language edition in 1877. The magazine name came from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream: “What fools these mortals be!” Puck used lithography instead of wood engraving and offered three cartoons vs. one of competitors. The cartoons were initially printed in black and white, but soon it changed into full, eye-catching color. Within a few years, Judge supplanted Puck as the leading humor magazine.

Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, introduced the subject of colored lithography in 1818. Printers in other countries, such as France and England, were also started producing color prints. The first American chromolithograph—a portrait of Reverend F. W. P. Greenwood—was created by William Sharp in 1840. Chromolithographs became so popular in American culture that the era has been labeled as "chromo civilization". During the Victorian times, chromolithographs populated children's and fine arts publications, as well as advertising art, in trade cards, labels, and posters. They were also used for advertisements, popular prints, and medical or scientific books.

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Date

01/01/1883
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Contributors

Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896, artist
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Source

Library of Congress
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Copyright info

No known restrictions on publication.

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