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Uncle Sam sick with la grippe

A satire attributing the dire fiscal straits of the nation to Andrew Jackson's banking policies, with specific reference to recent bank failures in New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia. The artist blames th... More

Virtuous Harry, or set a thief to catch a thief!

A satire on the Whig party's anti-annexation platform. The question of whether or not to annex Texas was a large issue separating candidates in the 1844 campaign. Annexation's serious implications for the futur... More

[Calendar for 1863]

An advertising calendar for a lithographic printer, with various patriotic motifs and a subtle commentary on the Emancipation Proclamation. The calendar, for 1863, is set within an elaborate architectural fram... More

The pending contest. Although all Copperheads call themselves Democra...

A variant of "The Pending Conflict" (no. 1863-10), evidently issued at about the same time (and deposited for copyright on the same date). Significant alterations here include: the "Neutrality" band has been re... More

Grand banner of the radical democracy, for 1864

Print shows a campaign banner for presidential nominee John C. Fremont and his running mate John Cochrane. Fremont and Cochrane were the candidates of a faction of radical Democrats consisting mostly of Germans... More

A bad egg. Fuss and feathers

Whig presidential candidate Winfield Scott is pictured as a fighting cock with human attributes. The cock wears fringed military epaulets, a sword, spurs, and a plumed hat. He is just emerged from an egg marked... More

Martial law / engraved by John Sartain.

The Missouri painter George Caleb Bingham's eloquent but belated reprisal for, as the title continues, "the desolation of the border counties of Missouri, during the enforcement of military orders, issued by Br... More

The presidential sweepstakes of 1844. Preparing to start

Again, the race motif is used to parody election-year rivalries. (See "Footrace, Pensylvania Avenue," no. 1844-41). Here the artist portrays the candidates as horses, lining up before a stand from which several... More

The laying of the cable---John and Jonathan joining hands / W & P.

A crude but engaging picture, celebrating the goodwill between Great Britain and the United States generated by the successful completion of the Atlantic telegraph cable between Newfoundland and Valentia Bay (I... More

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

Fate of the rebel flag / painted by Wm. Bauly ; lith. of Sarony, Major...

The second of a pair of patriotic prints after paintings by William Bauly, issued by New York art publisher William Schaus in September 1861 (both were deposited for copyright on the sixth of that month). "Fate... More

Practical illustration of the Fugitive Slave Law / E.C. del.

A satire on the antagonism between Northern abolitionists on the one hand, and Secretary of State Daniel Webster and other supporters of enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Here abolitionist William ... More

A boxing match, or another bloody nose for John Bull / W. Charles, del...

The artist gloats over naval losses suffered by England early in the War of 1812, in particular the defeat of the warship "Boxer" by the American frigate "Enterprise" in September 1813. King George III stands ... More

Abolition frowned down. Book illustration from Library of Congress

A satire on enforcement of the "gag-rule" in the House of Representatives, prohibiting discussion of the question of slavery. Growing antislavery sentiment in the North coincided with increased resentment by so... More

The folly of secession, Confederate States of America.

South Carolina struggles against the outgoing Buchanan administration in an attempt to "smash the Union up!" The artist uses the age-old pictorial conceit of two parties pulling on the different ends of a cow, ... More

National picture. Behold oh! America, your sons. The greatest among me...

A smaller version of no. 1865-7, issued later the same year and printed from one rather than two lithographic stones. In this version the figure of Lincoln is more convincingly drawn, but the continent is cropp... More

Martial law / engraved by John Sartain.

The rats leaving a falling house

A simpler and less animated composition on the same general idea as Edward W. Clay's ".00001" (no. 1831-1). Again Jackson is seated in a collapsing chair, with the "Altar of Reform" toppling next to him, and ra... More

The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 177...

A sensationalized portrayal of the skirmish, later to become known as the "Boston Massacre," between British soldiers and citizens of Boston on March 5, 1770. On the right a group of seven uniformed soldiers, o... More

The Union must and shall be preserved. For President Abraham Lincoln o...

Print shows a campaign banner for the Republican ticket. Oval bust portraits of the two candidates are enclosed in rustic bent-twig frames, intended perhaps to recall Lincoln's much-publicized backwoods origins... More

Political caricature. No. 2, Miscegenation or the millennium of abolit...

The second in a series of anti-Lincoln satires by Bromley & Co. This number was deposited for copyright on July 1, 1864. The artist conjures up a ludicrous vision of the supposed consequences of racial equalit... More

The downfall of Mother Bank

A pro-Jackson satire applauding the President's September 1833 order for the removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. The combined opposition to this move from Bank president Nicholas Bid... More

Set to between Old Hickory and Bully Nick

Satire on the public conflict between Andrew Jackson and Nicholas Biddle over the future of the Bank of the United States, and the former's campaign to destroy it. The print is sympathetic to Jackson, portrayi... More

Scene in a New Hampshire court.--General Pierce examining a witness. S...

Two humorous incidents supposedly from the life of Franklin Pierce. On the left, a repartee wherein Pierce, the distinguished trial lawyer, is embarrassed by an ignorant witness. Armed with pages of notes, Pie... More

The Southern Confederacy a fact!!! Acknowledged by a might prince and ...

A biting vilification of the Confederacy, representing it as a government in league with Satan. From left to right are: "Mr. Mob Law Chief Justice," a well-armed ruffian carrying a pot of tar; Secretary of Stat... More

Pilgrims' progress. Book illustration from Library of Congress

Democratic party war-horse Andrew Jackson appears frequently in the satires of the 1844 election campaign. Here, wearing a long frock coat and tall hat, he leads a donkey carrying Democratic candidates Polk and... More

Col. John C. Fremont, Republican candidate for the President of the Un...

Proof for a large woodcut banner or poster for Republican presidential candidate John C. Fremont. Fremont, a distinguished soldier and explorer, is mounted on a rearing horse in a mountain setting. Dressed in b... More

The emblem of the free / B. Day, del.

Number three in a series of illustrated song-sheets published in New York by Samuel Canty. This example includes the words of a song by Canty entitled "The Emblem of the Free" and alternately "The Traitor's Dre... More

Symptoms of a locked jaw. Plain sewing done here

The caricature reflects the bitter antagonism between Kentucky senator Henry Clay and President Andrew Jackson, during the protracted battle over the future of the Bank of the United States from 1832 through 18... More

Practical illustration of the Fugitive Slave Law / E.C. del.

Texas coming in. Book illustration from Library of Congress

A pro-Democrat cartoon forecasting the collapse of Whig opposition to the annexation of Texas. James K. Polk, the expansionist candidate, stands at right near a bridge spanning "Salt River." He holds an America... More

Tyrants prostrate liberty triumphant

A polemic applauding Democratic support of the Dorrite cause in Rhode Island. (See also "Trouble in the Spartan Ranks," and "The Great Political Car and Last Load of Patriots," nos. 1843-6 and 1845-5). In the ... More

The whale that swallowed Jonah

An election-year cartoon satirizing disharmony within the Whig ranks on the bank issue. The artist suggests a division of opinion between New England's Daniel Webster and presidential nominee Henry Clay on the ... More

The house that Jeff built

An extended and bitter indictment of Jefferson Davis and the Southern slave system. The work consists of a series of twelve vignettes with accompanying verse, following the scheme of the nursery rhyme "The Hous... More

America triumphant and Britannia in distress

A crude allegory of American prosperity and victory over England. Below the image an "Explanation" reads: "I America sitting on that quarter of the globe with the Flag of the United States displayed over her he... 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

Independence declared 1776. The Union must be preserved / designed and...

A memorial to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution, with distinctly pro-Democratic overtones. Below the title "Independence Declared" are bust portraits of the first eight Presidents, wit... More

President Lincoln, writing the Proclamation of Freedom. January 1st, 1...

A print based on David Gilmour Blythe's fanciful painting of Lincoln writing the Emancipation Proclamation. Contrary to the title, the proclamation was issued in 1862 and went into effect in January 1863. In a ... More

Symptoms of a duel

The second of two particularly well-drawn caricatures by the same artist, on the subject of the 1839 congressional probe of Van Buren's Treasury Department. (See above, nos. 1839-6 through -9.) The inquiry was ... 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

Southern "volunteers", Confederate States of America.

The print may have appeared soon after the Confederate Congress passed a national conscription act on April 16, 1862, to strengthen its dwindling army of volunteers. The artist characterizes regular Confederat... 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 Freedman's Bureau! An agency to keep the Negro in idleness at the ...

One in a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republicans on the issue of black suffrage, issued during the Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 1866. (See also "The Constitutional Amendment!," no. 186... More

I feed you all!

No doubt inspired by the Granger movement, the artist asserts the importance of the farmer in American society. The title is a variation on the movement's motto, "I Pay for All." The Grange was an organization ... More

The Fifteenth amendment - Print, Library of Congress collection

Print shows a parade surrounded by portraits and vignettes of Black life, illustrating rights granted by the 15th amendment. A reduced version of Kelly's large print "The Fifteenth Amendment, Celebrated May 19t... More

Emancipation / Th. Nast ; King & Baird, printers, 607 Sansom Street, P...

Thomas Nast's celebration of the emancipation of Southern slaves with the end of the Civil War. Nast envisions a somewhat optimistic picture of the future of free blacks in the United States. The central scene ... More

Emancipation / Th. Nast ; King & Baird, printers, 607 Sansom Street, P...

National picture. Behold oh! American, your sons the greatest among me...

One of the numerous patriotic apotheosis scenes produced in the months following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. (The Library's impression of "National Picture" was deposited for copyright on July 18, 186... 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 Hercules of the Union, slaying the great dragon of secession

A tribute to commander of Union forces Gen. Winfield Scott, shown as the mythical Hercules slaying the many-headed dragon or hydra, here symbolizing the secession of the Confederate states. At left stands Scott... More

The resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia, who escaped from ...

A somewhat comic yet sympathetic portrayal of the culminating episode in the flight of slave Henry Brown "who escaped from Richmond Va. in a Box 3 feet long, 2-1/2 ft. deep and 2 ft. wide." In the office of the... More

A boxing match, or another bloody nose for John Bull / W. Charles, del...

Grand National Democratic banner. Press onward

One of several campaign banners Nathaniel Currier is known to have produced for the Democrats in 1844. It features two laurel-wreathed, oval portraits of Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates... More

The great Republican Reform Party, calling on their candidate

Fremont is portrayed as the champion of a motley array of radicals and reformers. As he stands patiently at far right he is "called upon" by (left to right): a temperance advocate, a cigar-smoking, trousered su... More

A view of the obelisk erected under Liberty-tree in Boston on the rejo...

A schematic rendering of the illuminated obelisk erected on Boston Common in celebration of the repeal of the Stamp Act. On each of its four sides is a painted transparency which portrays in allegorical terms o... More

United States slave trade, 1830

An abolitionist print possibly engraved in 1830, but undocumented aside from the letterpress text which appears on an accompanying sheet. The text reads: "United States' slave trade, 1830. The Copper Plate from... More

Animal magnetism

A swipe at President Van Buren's independent treasury system and his continuation of the monetary policies of predecessor Andrew Jackson. The artist, clearly in sympathy with the Whigs, links corruption in the ... More

Political cock fighters. Book illustration from Library of Congress

A figurative portrayal of the 1844 presidential contest as a cock-fight, in which Whig candidate Henry Clay prevails. Clay and Democratic opponent Polk battle in a pit or ring as several prominent political fi... More

Ultimatum on the Oregon question

In his typically jingoist view of Polk's handling of the Oregon question, the artist Edward Williams Clay belittles the self-interested attitudes of Europe toward the dispute. The issue of whether to settle the... More

Political guillotine. Book illustration from Library of Congress

A cryptic satire critical of Lewis Cass and incumbent President James K. Polk. The work probably appeared prior to the Whig national convention (June 9-10), since reference is made to a Clay-Fillmore ticket. (T... More

Eclipse & no eclipse or two views of one object

Two scenes showing the differing perceptions of Franklin Pierce's stand on the issue of slavery, as viewed by the North and South. The cartoon is divided vertically by "Mason & Dixon's Line." An arrow identifie... More

Union and liberty! And union and slavery!

An anti-McClellan broadside, contrasting Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln's advocacy of equality and free labor in the North to Democratic opponent McClellan's alleged support of the Southern slave system. ... More

"Get off the track!" A song for emancipation, sung by The Hutchinsons,...

An illustrated sheet music cover for an abolitionist song composed by Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. The song is dedicated to antislavery editor Nathaniel Peabody Rogers, "As a mark of esteem for his intrepidity in the ... More

The constitutional amendment!. Book illustration from Library of Congr...

One of a number of highly racist posters issued as part of a smear campaign against Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee John White Geary by supporters of Democratic candidate Hiester Clymer. (See also... More

Portraits of the seven presidents of the U.S. / A. Baker's, lithog.

An emblematic print with hidden portraits of the Presidents, from Washington through Jackson. In the center is a small land mass, surrounded on three sides by water and strewn with barrels, anchors, bales, a co... 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

Uncle Sam's pet pups! Or, Mother Bank's last refuge

A crude woodcut satire showing Harrison luring "Mother Bank," Jackson, and Van Buren into a barrel of "Hard Cider." Jack Downing chases Jackson and Van Buren toward the barrel as Mother Bank crawls into it. Whi... More

The Presidents of the United States. Liberty and union / lith. of G. &...

A commemorative print published after the inauguration of President James K. Polk. The design incorporates oval bust portraits of the eleven Presidents arranged in an oval with Washington in the center and Polk... More

Balloon ascension to the presidential chair

Reflecting Whig preelection confidence in the campaign of 1844, the artist portrays that party's ascendancy over the Democrats in the race for the presidency. Bucholzer uses the metaphor of a hot-air balloon ra... More

The Tory mill. The original genuine experiment is published this day

A crude and unusually large woodcut, employing the metaphor of a mill to portray the spoils system under the Democrats (or "Tories" as they were labeled by the Whig press). The print may attack Andrew Jackson'... More

A foot-race

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

Murder of Louisiana sacrificed on the altar of radicalism

President Ulysses S. Grant and Congress turned a blind eye to the disputed 1872 election of carpetbagger William P. Kellogg as governor of Louisiana. In this scene Kellogg holds up the heart which he has just ... More

Treasury note, Washington, D.C.

A parody of the often worthless fractional currencies or "shinplasters" issued by banks, businesses, and municipalities in lieu of coin. These fractional notes proliferated during the Panic of 1837 with the eme... More

The three mares/mayors, New York course, spring races, 1838

A satire on the 1838 New York mayoralty contest, here shown as a horse race between (left to right) Whig candidate Aaron Clark, Democrat Richard Riker, and Loco Foco Democrat Isaac L. Varian. Clark is clearly i... More

Hunting Indians in Florida with blood hounds

A tableau dramatizing the brutal tactics employed by Zachary Taylor as commander of U.S. forces against the Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War (1835-42). Taylor, on horseback at right, presides ov... More

Halloo! Turks in Gotham

Signed in stone: WA. Title appears as it is written on the item. Purchase (Hubbard Fund); (DLC/PP-1976:041). Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)

What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

The opposition of Northern abolitionists, churchmen, and political figures to enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 is criticized in this rare pro-Southern cartoon. In two panels artist Edward Williams ... More

Volunteering down Dixie, Confederate States of America.

A satire on Southern recruitment efforts during the early part of the Civil War. In a scene before a Confederate encampment, a reluctant civilian (center) is presented with a musket and military coat by two vet... More

Secession exploded, Confederate States of America.

This strongly anti-Confederate satire is a fantastical vision of the Union defeat of the secessionist movement. A hideous monster representing secession emerges from the water at left. He is hit by a charge fro... More

The sportsman upset by the recoil of his own gun (Jo. Miller)

Lincoln is portrayed as meek and ineffectual in his prosecution of the war. In a wooded scene Lincoln, here in the character of an Irish sportsman in knee-breeches, discharges his blunderbuss at a small bird "C... More

Emancipation Proclamation. Proclamation by the governor / E. Knobel, f...

One of two large commemorative prints marking the ordinance issued by Missouri governor Thomas C. Fletcher, proclaiming the immediate emancipation of slaves in that state. The Missouri ordinance was issued on J... More

Democratic platform illustrated

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

Genl. Andrew Jackson, 1828. Protector & defender of beauty & booty, Or...

Print shows a campaign portrait of Andrew Jackson issued during the presidential election of 1828. An oval bust portrait of Jackson is surrounded by the words "Protector & Defender of Beauty & Booty. Orleans," ... 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

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

A galvanized corpse

Jacksonian editor Francis Preston Blair rises from his coffin, revived by a primitive galvanic battery, as two demons look on. A man on the right throws up his hands as he is drawn toward Blair, saying: Had I n... 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

American star / Design'd, engraved & [Published?] by Thos. Gimbrede, J...

Oval medallion portraits of George Washington and (below, left to right) Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams are framed against a curtain of drapery and furs surmounted by a star. Washington's portr... More

The reconstruction policy of Congress, as illustrated in California

A satire aimed at California Republican gubernatorial nominee George C. Gorham's espousal of voting rights for blacks and other minorities. Brother Jonathan (left) admonishes Gorham, "Young Man! read the histor... More

The prairie dog sickened at the sting of the hornet or a diplomatic pu...

James Akin's earliest-known signed cartoon, "The Prairie Dog" is an anti-Jefferson satire, relating to Jefferson's covert negotiations for the purchase of West Florida from Spain in 1804. Jefferson, as a scraw... More

Scene in Chatham Square - by a spectator

Cartoon shows a duel between Saul, who has the head of a donkey, and Stoningham in Chatham Square. Both men sit on horseback at a "distance [of] 2 rods," while three other man standing between them bet on the o... More

The gunboat candidate at the Battle of Malvern Hill

Democratic presidential candidate George Brinton McClellan is lampooned as an incompetent military leader. He sits in a saddle mounted on the boom of the Union ironclad vessel "Galena." The print recalls two p... More

The Radical Convention in Philadelphia, September 3d, 1866

A racist poster attacking Republican gubernatorial candidate John White Geary for his support of black suffrage. (See also "The Constitutional Amendment!," no. 1866-5.) The artist purports to show the conventi... More

Leaders of the Democratic Party, Confederate States of America.

A searing, election-year indictment of four prominent figures in the Democratic party, three of them former Confederate officers. Former New York governor and Democratic presidential nominee Horatio Seymour is... More

Historical caricature of the Cherokee nation

R11803 U.S. Copyright Office. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1886 (All rights reserved.) Stamped and inscribed in pencil on lower : Library of Congress City of Washington. Copyright Jul 10 18... More

The Radical Party on a heavy grade / J.M. Ives, del. ; on stone by Cam...

An election-year cartoon, predicting the victory of former New York governor Horatio Seymour in the presidential race. Here, Seymour's head hovers, glowing, above the White House, complacently watching a group ... More

The American Declaration of Independence illustrated / Fabronious ; de...

An idealistic call for emancipation of the slaves. Borne aloft by an eagle holding two American flags is an aerial carriage similar to the basket of a hot-air balloon with two occupants: a black man who is a fr... More

I feed you all!

The two platforms. Book illustration from Library of Congress

Another in a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republican exponents of black suffrage, issued during the 1866 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race. (See "The Constitutional Amendment," no. 1866-5.) The pos... More

Congressional scales. A true balance

A satire on President Zachary Taylor's attempts to balance Southern and Northern interests on the question of slavery in 1850. Taylor stands atop a pair of scales, with a weight in each hand; the weight on the ... More

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