1,029 Cartoon prints american Images: LOC's Public Domain Archive Public Domain Search

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The forty thieves or the common scoundrels of New-York

The title continues: "Breaking up of a Grand Spree in the Tea Room & total abflustification of the common scoundrels." Weitenkampf calls the print a satirical look at members of the New York Common Council "aft... More

Harrison quadrilles. Book illustration from Library of Congress

An illustrated sheet music cover for a set of "popular airs" for the piano, dedicated by the publisher to "Whigs of the United States." A Whig campaign piece, the work eulogizes the supposed humble rusticity of... More

Sold for want of use - Public domain book illustration, Library of Con...

Bucholzer again uses animal characterizations to poke fun at the respective faults of prominent Democrats in the 1844 presidential race. In an interior, Whig nominee Henry Clay conducts a livestock auction, off... 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 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

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

Rowing him up Salt River - Public domain book illustration, Library of...

The cartoonist is optimistic about the prospects of Whig presidential candidate Zachary Taylor, here shown rowing Democratic oppponent Lewis Cass up the river of political misfortune. Cass, seated in the stern,... More

"Misery acquaints a man with strange bed-fellows"

A satire on the unlikely alliance of rival editors Horace Greeley and James Watson Webb in support of Zachary Taylor for the presidency in 1848. Unlike Webb, one of Taylor's earliest and most enthusiastic New Y... More

The flag of our union, a national song

Another copy, slightly different image was deposited for copyright on May 21, 1851 (M1 .A13 W; LC-USZ62-91835). Caption card tracings: Shelf. Copyright by William Hall & Son; lithograph by H. Hoff, N.Y. LOT sub... More

The grand national fight 2 against 1 fought on the 6th of Nov. 1856 fo...

The familiar metaphor of the presidential contest as a boxing match is invoked once again. (For an earlier example see "Set to Between the Champion Old Tip and the Swell Dutchman of Kinderhook," no. 1836-12.) T... More

Congressional surgery. Legislative quackery, Political Cartoon

A rare anti-North satire, probably dealing with either the Crittenden Compromise or the Douglas Compromise. Proposed in December 1860 in the form of several constitutional amendments, the former called for rest... More

The undecided political prize fight, Political Cartoon

A pro-Breckinridge satire on the 1860 presidential contest. Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln (right) and Democrat Stephen A. Douglas (left) appear as boxers squaring off in a ring before a small crowd of on... More

Strayed, Confederate States of America., Confederate States of America

An exultant view of the rout, by Union forces commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Lyon, of troops under Gen. Sterling Price and Claiborne F. Jackson at Boonville, Missouri, in June 1861. Jackson, the secessionist gove... More

The Palmetto State song - Lithograph, public domain, Library of Congre...

An illustrated cover for sheet music celebrating the South Carolina state convention on December 20, 1860, where an ordinance of secession was passed unanimously, thereby severing the state's ties with the Unio... More

The house that Jeff built - Public domain 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

Jeff's double quick. The last words of the Confederacy: "Jeff's war ho...

Another comic version of Confederate President Jefferson Davis's ignominious capture by Union troops in May 1865. (See also "The Chas-ed "Old Lady" of the C.S.A.," no. 1865-11.) Here Davis, clad as a woman and... More

Erie or the greased pole. A new and amusing game

A comic boar game based on the Erie Railroad wars. Owner of the railroad James Fisk has slipped to the ground after trying unsuccessfully to scale the greased pole. Coins and a bill marked "Erie" fall from his... More

H.R. Robinson, 52 Courtland St. Caricatures & prints

A tradecard or printed signboard for caricature publisher Henry R. Robinson. The image of an eighteenth-century wig is surely a pun on Robinson's Whig political alignment. The print must have been produced betw... More

Martin Van Buren / Thayer, successor to Moore, Boston.

One of the few campaign prints issued in support of Democratic incumbent Martin Van Buren's 1840 presidential bid. Designed to appeal to the workingman, the print invokes the recent history of Democratic suppor... More

The Ostend doctrine. Practical Democrats carrying out the principle

The Ostend Manifesto, advocated by American minister to England James Buchanan, minister to Spain Pierre Soule, and John Y. Mason, minister to France, urged the purchase or (if necessary) seizure of Cuba from S... More

"The irrespressible conflict" Or the Republican barge in danger

The cartoon reflects the considerable bitterness among New York Republicans at the party's surprising failure to nominate New York senator William H. Seward for president at its May 1860 national convention. Th... More

The mower / designed and lith. by D.C. Fabronius.

Print shows a curiously pastoral scene that actually carries a strongly anti-Copperhead message. The artist contrasts the blessings of Northern free labor with the inhumanity of the Southern plantation system. ... More

The Smelling Committee / Cameron., Political Cartoon

The failed impeachment proceedings initiated by the Radical Republicans against President Andrew Johnson in 1868 are likened to a dead horse: exuding a great stench with no hope for revival. Several figures inv... More

God grant us peace We shall see more Rads "bottled up" in November.

Print shows a double campaign placard or sign. The work may be an uncut proof for two placards, produced for both Republican and Democratic camps during the 1868 campaign. It is unclear whether the Grant image ... More

The Hartford Convention or Leap no leap / Wm. Charles, Sc.

Charles's satire attacks the Hartford Convention, a series of secret meetings of New England Federalists held in December 1814. The artist caricatures radical secessionist leader Timothy Pickering and lampoons... More

For president John Bell. For vice president Edward Everett

Print shows a large campaign banner for Constitutional Union party presidential candidate John Bell and running mate Edward Everett. The banner consists of a printed, thirty-three star American flag pattern wit... 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

The old bull dog on the right track

An election year cartoon measuring Democratic candidate McClellan's military failures against the recent successes of his successor, Ulysses S. Grant. At right Grant, portrayed as a bulldog wearing a collar lab... More

Triumph of liberty. Dedicated to its defenders in America / drawn by J...

Print shows an allegory of liberty flourishing and monarchy and tyranny in decline. In a wooded grove Minerva, with a shield bearing the arms of the United States and a flag emblazoned with stars, pours libatio... 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 impending crisis"--Or caught in the act

The print's title derives from the name of Hinton Rowan Helper's 1857 pamphlet "The Impending Crisis," an influential document in antislavery literature. Here the crisis is that of New York senator William H. S... 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

The Fifteenth amendment - Print, Library of Congress collection

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

The times - Political cartoon, public domain image

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

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

Temple of liberty, engraving, Library of Congress

A crude allegorical woodcut, bold in design, and probably produced for a banner or similar type of display. In the center is a peristyle Temple with an altar on which the figure of Liberty rises from a flame. T... More

The Presidents of the United States Lewis Cass, Democratic candidate f...

Print shows a campaign banner for Democratic presidential candidate Lewis Cass. It is almost identical in design to a banner Currier produced the same year for Zachary Taylor (no. 1848-5), except that here, abo... 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

The great exhibition of 1860. American Civil War 1861-1865.

The artist satirizes the antislavery orientation of the Republican platform. Abolitionist editor Horace Greeley (left) grinds his New York "Tribune" organ as candidate Abraham Lincoln (center, riding on a woode... More

Raising the flag May 1861 / from the original picture by Winner ; engr...

A patriotic print dedicated by the publisher to the "Defenders of the Union." At left, Union troops march toward the U.S. Capitol. An officer on a spirited white horse brings up the rear. In the left middlegrou... More

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

The secession bubble. "It must burst" / J.H. Bufford's Lith., Boston.

A genre scene with a pointed political reference. A black girl, probably the child of slaves, plays with a soap pipe in a garden. Beyond the garden fence, in a landscape with palmettos, a fortress flying a Conf... More

Reconstruction / eng. by J.L. Giles, N.Y. ; printed by F[rancis] Rate...

Print shows a grand allegory of the reconciliation of North and South through the federal program of Reconstruction. Visionary in its breadth and scale, the work is a remarkable combination of religious and pat... More

Democratic reformers in search of a head

A mild parody on the strife and corruption within the New York Democratic party. In 1876 Tammany leader "Honest John" Kelly used his power over rank-and-file Democrats to oppose New York governor Samuel Tilden'... More

Managing a candidate - Print, Library of Congress collection

A caustic portrayal of the abolitionist Whigs' manipulation of Winfield Scott during the 1852 campaign. Influential Whigs (left to right) New York "Times" editor Henry J. Raymond, "Tribune" editor Horace Greele... More

The vision. Political hydrophobia, shewing the comfort of crowns, and ...

A crudely drawn but bitter attack on Andrew Jackson's veto of the re-charter of the Bank of the United States and his subsequent campaign to destroy the Bank. Jackson (right) is a king fiddling on his throne as... More

"Let every one take care of himself" (As the Jack ass said when he was...

A satire attacking Andrew Jackson's plan to distribute treasury funds, formerly kept in the Bank of the United States, among "branch banks" in various states. The artist also alleges Vice-President Van Buren's ... More

Presidents of the United States / A. Feusier, del. & lith.

A large, patriotic print probably issued around the time of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration. Columbia stands before the U.S. Capitol, holding a shield and a staff with a liberty cap. On her brow she wears a laur... More

Emancipation Ordinance of Missouri. An ordinance abolishing slavery in...

One of two splendid, large allegorical prints commemorating the ordinance providing for the immediate emancipation of slaves in Missouri. (See also no. 1865-1.) The ordinance was passed on January 11, 1865, thr... More

Harrison, union, liberty, and independence / designed, written & publi...

A large Whig campaign broadside, very similar to "Westward the March of Empire" (no. 1840-31) with the same lengthy text, here entitled "Epitome of the life of William Henry Harrison ..." Framing the text are t... 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

Disturbing a martin's nest - Public domain portrait painting

A satire on the Van Buren administration's involvement in New York State politics. Although the precise context of the cartoon is unclear, specific reference is made to Van Buren's alliance with postmaster gene... More

A peep into futurity, or a picture of 1841

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1838 by H.R. Robinson, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the U.S. for the Southern District of New York. Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 52 C... 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

The last card. Tip overthrown - Public domain book illustration

A satire on the controversy surrounding charges of election fraud against New York State tobacco inspector James B. Glentworth and other Whigs during the election of 1838. The allegations were made two years l... More

Caricature, An interesting family, public domain cartoon image

A caricature of Martin Van Buren as an opossum. The marsupial, with a smirking Van Buren's head, rises on its hindquarters and displays in its pouch three of its "young." They are administration insiders (left... More

Going up Salt River - Public domain book illustration, Library of Cong...

Political cartoons friendly to Van Buren were the rare exception during the 1840 campaign. Here the artist parodies the exploitation by Whig politicians of populist candidate William Henry Harrison. Martin Van ... More

H. Clay, Head and Shoulders Portrait

Another campaign portrait of Whig presidential candidate Henry Clay. In an oval frame, surrounded by an ornate floral wreath, is a bust-length portrait of Clay. Two books and a quill pen are visible over his sh... More

For President: James K. Polk, of Tennessee. For Vice President: George...

A Democratic election ticket for the 1844 presidential campaign, issued sometime between May 29, when Polk received the Democratic nomination, and the November canvass. The ticket names the party's eight electo... 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

Columbia and her rejected suitor, Political Cartoon

A fond yet sardonic tribute to the aging Massachusetts statesman Daniel Webster, whose final bid for the Whig presidential nomination was defeated by Winfield Scott in 1852. The artist is wryly critical of the... 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

Song of the Union by a Pennsylvanian . . .

A sheet music cover for a song by John M. Crosland, dedicated to President Buchanan. The cover is illustrated with an array of emblems, many of them symbolizing threats to the integrity of the Union. A bust of ... More

Abraham Lincoln / Fabronius ; lith. & published by Edw. Mendel.

An early campaign portrait of Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln. The bust portrait is based on Samuel M. Fassett's October 1859 photograph of the Illinois Republican. Below it is a small allegor... 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

Why dont you take it?, Confederate States of America.

In February 1861 Washington was alarmed by rumors that secessionists planned to seize the city and make it the capital of the Confederacy. The print may have been produced in that context, or during Lincoln's c... 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 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 soldier's song--Unionism vs. Copperheadism

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1864, by Smith & Swinney, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Southern District of Ohio. Title appears as it is wri... 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

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

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

You must make your choice. Birds of a feather flock together Miller's ...

A Republic campaign broadside making Horace Greeley the scapegoat for anti-Southern and ant-Democratic feeling. Greeley is shown together with Southern statesmen John C. Calhoun and former president of the Conf... More

God grant us peace We shall see more Rads "bottled up" in November.

Millard Fillmore, American candidate for president of the United State...

A large woodcut proof for a campaign banner or poster for the Native American party's 1856 presidential candidate. A bust portrait of Millard Fillmore appears in a roundel, flanked by allegorical figures of Jus... More

The Hartford Convention or Leap no leap / Wm. Charles, Sc.

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

Grand National Liberal Republican banner for 1872

A facsimile of an ornate cloth banner for Liberal Republican candidates Horace Greeley and Benjamin Gratz Brown. At the top of the banner, which is suspended from a crossbar, is an eagle holding a streamer insc... More

Baltimore bakery. Thomas Ritchie & Co. from Richmond--Bakers and confe...

Influential Richmond publisher Thomas Ritchie is attacked for his support of Lewis Cass's nomination at the Democratic national convention in Baltimore. The convention, held in late May 1848, selected Cass, an ... More

Baltimore bakery. Thomas Ritchie & Co. from Richmond--Bakers and confe...

The Fifteenth amendment - Print, Library of Congress collection

Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. Andrew Johnson of Tennessee. No. 37 / G. ...

Print shows a campaign banner for the Republican ticket in the 1864 presidential election. It consists of facing bust portraits of Abraham Lincoln (left) and Andrew Johnson (right). Below each portrait is an id... More

Can you rest one hand on the sacred altar of Liberty, and with the oth...

A strongly pro-Van Buren cartoon, espousing the antislavery platform of the Free Soil party and condemning Whigs and conservative Democrats alike. The artist also reflects the lingering bitterness among many De... 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

Congressional pugilists - Engraving, Public domain image

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

For president, Abram Lincoln. For vice president, Hannibal Hamlin

Print shows a large campaign banner for Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln and running mate Hannibal Hamlin. Lincoln's first name is given here as "Abram." The banner consists of a thirty-three s... More

The nation's choice for the 12th President of the U.S. Genl. Z. Taylor...

A campaign print for Whig presidential nominee Zachary Taylor. A bust-length portrait of the Mexican War hero is set in an oval frame of oak leaves and acorns, surrounded by various martial attributes. Cannon, ... 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

United Americans of the state of New York / designed & litho'd. in col...

A large, illustrated membership certificate for the Order of United Americans, a nativist secret society founded in New York City in December 1844. Originally called the American Brotherhood, the organization c... 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 Chappaqua farmer / Kuriger ; lith by D. Chalmers, Springfield, Mas...

An unlikely equestrian campaign portrait of controversial and eccentric editor Horace Greeley. The title of the print refers to Greeley's writings on farming and his own famous farm in Chappaqua, New York. Here... More

The American ram - A drawing of a man in a top hat

On the cover of a patriotic song dedicated to Lincoln's secretary of the navy Gideon Welles Uncle Sam rides a "ram," or ironclad steam vessel, down the Mississippi River. The Library's copy of the music cover w... More

Raising the flag May 1861 / from the original picture by Winner ; engr...

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