Uncle Sam sick with la grippe - Drawing. Public domain image.
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], engraving, Library of Congress](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzE4NjIvMDEvMDEvY2FsZW5kYXItZm9yLTE4NjMtNjQwLmpwZw%3D%3D/40/55/webp "[Calendar for 1863], engraving, Library of Congress")
[Calendar for 1863], engraving, Library of Congress
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 - Drawing. Public domain image.
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
Breaking that "backbone", Confederate States of America.
A figurative commentary on Northern efforts to end the rebellion during the early years of the Civil War. Confederate President Jefferson Davis (far left) displays "the Great Southern Gyascutis," a dog-like mon... 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 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
Am I not a man and a brother? - Public domain illuminated manuscript
The large, bold woodcut image of a supplicant male slave in chains appears on the 1837 broadside publication of John Greenleaf Whittier's antislavery poem, "Our Countrymen in Chains." The design was originally... More
Grand democratic free soil banner, engraving, Library of Congress
Print shows a campaign banner for Free Soil Party candidates Martin Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams in the presidential race of 1848. The two candidates, nominated at the third party's convention on August ... More
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
![For President Horace Greeley of New York and for Vice President Benjn. Gratz. Brown ... / Henry Brueckner painted ; lith. by S[vobodin] Merinsky.](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn18/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMTEvMjQvZm9yLXByZXNpZGVudC1ob3JhY2UtZ3JlZWxleS1vZi1uZXcteW9yay1hbmQtZm9yLXZpY2UtcHJlc2lkZW50LWJlbmpuLWdyYXR6LWQ4MmNiMC0xMDI0LmpwZw%3D%3D/40/31/webp "For President Horace Greeley of New York and for Vice President Benjn. Gratz. Brown ... / Henry Brueckner painted ; lith. by S[vobodin] Merinsky.")
For President Horace Greeley of New York and for Vice President Benjn....
Print shows an unusually elaborate and imaginative campaign banner for Liberal Republican-Democratic presidential candidate Horace Greeley. The print contrasts scenes of war and mayhem from Ulysses S. Grant's p... More
![The Union must and shall be preserved. For President Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. For Vice President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine / lith. by W[illiam] H. Rease, cor. 4th & Chestnut Sts., Philada.](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn18/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMTAvMTMvdGhlLXVuaW9uLW11c3QtYW5kLXNoYWxsLWJlLXByZXNlcnZlZC1mb3ItcHJlc2lkZW50LWFicmFoYW0tbGluY29sbi1vZi1pbGxpbm9pcy1mOTBlNWQtMTAyNC5qcGc%3D/40/28/webp "The Union must and shall be preserved. For President Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. For Vice President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine / lith. by W[illiam] H. Rease, cor. 4th & Chestnut Sts., Philada.")
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
Tyrants prostrate liberty triumphant, Political Cartoon
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 - Public domain book illustration, Libr...
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
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
The house that Jeff built - Public domain portrait drawing
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
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
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, 1863 / painted by [David Gilmour] Blythe ; lithogr. and printed in colors by Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. Cincinnati, O.](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn18/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMTAvMTAvcHJlc2lkZW50LWxpbmNvbG4td3JpdGluZy10aGUtcHJvY2xhbWF0aW9uLW9mLWZyZWVkb20tamFudWFyeS0xc3QtMTg2My1wYWludGVkLWNlZDkwMC0xMDI0LmpwZw%3D%3D/40/32/webp "President Lincoln, writing the Proclamation of Freedom. January 1st, 1863 / painted by [David Gilmour] Blythe ; lithogr. and printed in colors by Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. Cincinnati, O.")
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 - Public domain portrait drawing
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! - Drawing. Public domain image.
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...
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
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](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn18/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMTAvMDcvbGluY29sbi1hbmQtZG91Z2xhcy1pbi1hLXByZXNpZGVudGlhbC1mb290cmFjZS1uby0xLTE4NjAtZWRiOWVjLTY0MC5qcGc%3D/40/32/webp "[Lincoln & Douglas in a presidential footrace]. No. 1, 1860")
[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...
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
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
The downfall of Mother Bank - Public domain portrait drawing
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
Loco Foco hunters treeing a candidate
A satire on the Democrats' or "Loco Focos'" 1852 pursuit of Franklin Pierce for the presidential nomination. At the foot of the White Mountains in the "Dismal Swamp," an immense, swampy region of North Carolina... 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
Tree of temperance - Print, Library of Congress collection
One of a pair of prints (see "Tree of Intemperance," no. 1855-3) issued by A.D. Fillmore in 1855 extolling the social and moral benefits of temperance and condemning the evils of alcohol. In the center of the c... 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.
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
The grand national caravan moving east. / drawn by Hassan Straightshan...
A burlesque parade, led by Andrew Jackson and satirizing various aspects of his administration. The procession moves from right to left. At its head is Jackson, seated on a horse with Martin Van Buren cross-le... More
Treasury note, Washington, D.C., Political Cartoon
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
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
Halloo! Turks in Gotham - Drawing. Public domain image.
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)
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, 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
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 - Public domain portrait drawing
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, Jany. 30th. 1812](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDkvMDUvYW1lcmljYW4tc3Rhci1kZXNpZ25kLWVuZ3JhdmVkLWFuZC1wdWJsaXNoZWQtYnktdGhvcy1naW1icmVkZS1qYW55LTMwdGgtMTgxMi05NDgzM2YtMTAyNC5qcGc%3D/40/36/webp "American star / Design'd, engraved & [Published?] by Thos. Gimbrede, Jany. 30th. 1812")
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 puppet exhibiting his deceptions / J[ames] Akin, fect.](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDkvMjYvdGhlLXByYWlyaWUtZG9nLXNpY2tlbmVkLWF0LXRoZS1zdGluZy1vZi10aGUtaG9ybmV0LW9yLWEtZGlwbG9tYXRpYy1wdXBwZXQtYmRiNTg2LTEwMjQuanBn/40/28/webp "The prairie dog sickened at the sting of the hornet or a diplomatic puppet exhibiting his deceptions / J[ames] Akin, fect.")
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
United States slave trade, 1830 - Public domain portrait engraving
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 - Public domain historical image
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, Political Cartoon
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 - Public domain portrait 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
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
Letter from Thomas Jefferson, to Mr. Weightman, late Mayor of Washingt...
An allegory of printing and liberty, illustrating a broadside of a June 24, 1826, letter from Thomas Jefferson on American democracy. The female figure of Liberty displays to the Four Continents the art of prin... More
Soloque. Emperor of Hayti, creating a grand duke
Published & for sale by J.L. Magee, no. 34 Mott St, NY. Title appears as it is written on the item. Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)
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