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
Democratic simplicity or the arrival of our favourite son
A satirical attack on alleged excesses in the Van Buren administration and on the President's Loco Foco or radical Democratic supporters in New York. Martin Van Buren rides past New York's Tammany Hall in a lu... More
The North Bend farmer and his visitors
A slanderous portrayal of Democratic tactics against Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison. The supposedly insidious and high-living Van Buren and his minions suffer by comparison to the Whig cand... More
Fording Salt River. Book illustration from Library of Congress
An election-year satire favoring Free Soil candidate Martin Van Buren in the 1848 presidential contest. A long-legged John Van Buren carries his father piggyback through Salt River, heading toward the White Ho... 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
Sub treasurers taking long steps, or The magician broke down
Entered according to Act of Congress, in 1838 by H.R. Robinson, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the U.S. for the Southern District of N.Y. Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt & 11 ... More
Granny Harrison delivering the country of the executive Federalist
A satire on the Van Buren administration challenged by Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison. Harrison, dressed as a woman, tries to remove Van Buren from his throne with a midwife's forceps. Van... More
Pilgrims' progress - Political cartoon, public domain image
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
The modern balaam and his ass - Political cartoon, public domain image
Title appears as it is written on the item. Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)
Set-to between the champion old tip & the swell Dutcheman of Kinderhoo...
Satire on the presidential campaign of 1836, portraying the contest as a boxing match between Democratic candidate Martin Van Buren and Whig candidate William Henry Harrison. The artist clearly favors Harrison.... More
Going the whole hog - Public domain book illustration
Martin Van Buren's New York political favorites are represented as piglets suckled by a giant sow "The Empire State." The artist's pointed reference is to the exploitation of New York State by the President and... More
Illustrations of the adventures of the renowned Don Quixote & his doug...
A burlesque history of the Jackson administration, with particular reference to his campaign to destroy the Bank of the United States. The narrative, in a series of twelve episodes, is based on Cervantes's "Don... 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
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
Whig bazaar - Political cartoon, public domain image
Publd. by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt St. N-York. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1837 by H.R. Robinson, in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern Distr... 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
Matty's dream. Book illustration from Library of Congress
Clay portrays Martin Van Buren driven from the White House by nightmares of cider barrels and Whig presidential challenger William Henry Harrison. Van Buren flees the presidential mansion in his nightshirt, dro... 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
Caucus on the Surplus Bill - Public domain book illustration, Library ...
A derisive view of Andrew Jackson's reluctant, politically-minded endorsement of the Distribution Act, or "Surplus Bill," a measure authorizing distribution of surplus federal funds among the states. Facing the... 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
All the West going for Matty - Public domain book illustration, Librar...
A Whig cartoon spoofing Democratic claims of Western support for Van Buren during the election of 1840. Pursued by animals from the "Alleghany Mountains" and the Mississippi River, including among others a buf... More
The fox hunt. Book illustration from Library of Congress
Again Van Buren's flirtation with radical interests is portrayed as his downfall. As in "The Modern Colossus" (no. 1848-56) antislavery activist Abby Folsom (here "Abby Fulsome") is prominently featured. Here s... More
The buffalo hunt - Drawing. Public domain image.
An optimistic view of the presidential prospects of Martin Van Buren, nominated at the Free Soil Party's August 1848 convention in Buffalo, New York. Here Van Buren rides a buffalo and thumbs his nose as he se... More
Patent balancing by an amateur - Public domain book illustration, Libr...
New York "Tribune" editor Horace Greeley is ridiculed for vacillating between support of candidates Martin Van Buren and Zachary Taylor in the presidential election of 1848. Greeley balances precariously on a 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
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
Grand match between the Kinderhook poney and the Ohio ploughman
A satire on the presidential contest of 1836, using the metaphor of a billiards game between Whig candidate William Henry Harrison (left) and Democrat Martin Van Buren. The artist is clearly on the side of Harr... More
On the way to Araby! - Political cartoon, public domain image
Satire on the Jackson administration's continuing battle against the Bank of the United States. The print was specifically occasioned by the re-chartering of the Bank by the Whig-controlled Pennsylvania Legisla... More
Machines for the new pay-tent office
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 United States, for the Southern District of New York. Printed & published by H.R. Rob... 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
The main question - Victorian era public domain image
Satire on the escalation of tensions during the Maine-New Brunswick border conflict in February and March 1839. The dispute involved the claim to valuable, timber-rich territory in the Aroostook region. The are... More
The rebound of the ball - Public domain book illustration
A satire on the Democrats' defeat in the fall New York state elections, here viewed as a referendum on Van Buren's independent treasury, or "Sub-treasury" system. A large ball labeled "Sub Treasury" is pushed d... More
!["The government." No. 1, [Eye] take the responsibility](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzE4MzQvMDEvMDEvdGhlLWdvdmVybm1lbnQtbm8tMS1leWUtdGFrZS10aGUtcmVzcG9uc2liaWxpdHktNjQwLmpwZw%3D%3D/40/30/webp "\"The government.\" No. 1, [Eye] take the responsibility")
"The government." No. 1, [Eye] take the responsibility
A satire on Andrew Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet," the pejorative name given his informal circle of close advisors. The print appeared during the heated controversy incited by Jackson's discontinuation of federal ... More
Cutting down the hickory tree and disturbing the crow's nest
Figurative portrayal of Whig opposition to the independent treasury or subtreasury system conceived by Jackson and implemented by Van Buren and the Democrats. In a large tree is a nest labeled "Sub Treasury" i... 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
Loco Foco expresses, arriving at Washington
A satiric commentary on the effects of the landslide Whig victory in New York state elections in the autumn of 1838. President Van Buren (left) greets two of his defeated allies: incumbent governor William L. M... More
.00001 the value of a unit with four cyphers going before it
A satire on dissension and political intrigue within Andrew Jackson's administration, surrounding the Spring 1831 resignations of several members of his Cabinet. In the center Jackson sits in a collapsing chair... More
The almighty lever. Book illustration from Library of Congress
E. W. Clay's apocalyptic allegory has public opinion as a giant lever, tilting decisively in favor of the Whigs late in the presidential campaign of 1840. In a symbolic landscape masses of people climb onto the... 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
Barn-burners in a fix - Political cartoon, public domain image
A satire on the Barnburners, a radical faction of New York State Democrats, led by John Van Buren, whose commitment to social and monetary reforms was likened to a farmer's burning his barn to rid it of rats. H... More
Caucus on the Surplus Bill - Public domain book illustration, Library ...
A derisive view of Andrew Jackson's reluctant, politically-minded endorsement of the Distribution Act, or "Surplus Bill," a measure authorizing distribution of surplus federal funds among the states. Facing the... More
The trap sprung! The kinderhook fox caught!
A parody of Democratic efforts to reelect incumbent Martin Van Buren in the face of broad popular support for Whig candidate William Henry Harrison. The print is a crude woodcut evidently based on Napoleon Saro... More
The telegraphic candidates - Steam locomotive, Public domain image
In a race between the railroad and the telegraph the "telegraphic candidates," Lewis Cass and William O. Butler, are first to the White House. The artist ridicules Zachary Taylor for his hazy stance on major ca... More
A democratic indignation meeting / after a sketch by our special artis...
Print shows the ghost of Thomas Jefferson speaking to a gathering of the ghosts of John Tyler, Lewis Cass, James K. Polk, Stephen A. Douglas, Franklin Pierce, Andrew Jackson, William L. Marcy, Samuel J. Tilden,... 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
Specie claws - Public domain dedication image
A melodramatic portrayal of the plight of the tradesman during the Panic of 1837, whose financial distress the artist ascribes to Loco Foco politics and the effects of the Specie Circular, or "Specie Clause." T... More
Bursting the balloon - Political cartoon, public domain image
Democratic frustrations in the race for the "Presidential Chair" are again parodied in the sequel or companion to "Balloon Ascension to the Presidential Chair" (no. 1844-32). Here the ascent of the Democrats is... More
Troubled treasures. Book illustration from Library of Congress
A crudely drawn anti-Jackson satire, applauding Henry Clay's orchestration of Congressional resistance to the President's plan to withdraw Treasury funds from the Bank of the United States. The print also attac... More
The experiment in full operation, Political Cartoon
An anti-Jackson satire, critical of the President's federal treasury policy and of Vice-President Van Buren's influence on the administration's fiscal program. The print specifically attacks Jackson's plan to d... More
General Jackson slaying the many headed monster
A satire on Andrew Jackson's campaign to destroy the Bank of the United States and its support among state banks. Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and Jack Downing struggle against a snake with heads representing the... More
The little magician's sleight of hand performance. An absquabulating s...
Again the theme of corruption in the Van Buren administration, here centering on the President's "Sub-Treasury" or independent treasury program, passed by Congress in July 1840. A large frigate "United States,... More
Political race course - Union Track - fall races 1836
A figurative portrayal -- clearly sympathetic to the Whig party -- of the 1836 presidential election contest as a horse race between four candidates. The four are identified in the legend as (left to right): "O... More
Inklings of travel, up Salt River
A broad satire, ridiculing all of the candidates in the 1848 presidential campaign. Swimming up "Salt River" and pulling the "Salt River Barge" is fox Martin van Buren. Seated in the barge are (left to right):... More
Settin' on a rail - Public domain book illustration, Library of Congre...
A satire, probably issued during August or September 1837, on the tug-of-war for influence on the President between Jacksonian Democrats and the "soft money" or conservative elements of the party. Here the arti... More
A dialogue between two well known characters
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1837, by H.R. Robinson, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States of the Southern District of New York. Printed & published by H.R. Robins... More
Old Jack in the last agony and the fox caught in a rat trap
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1837, by H.R. Robinson, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, of the Southern District of New York. Printed & published by H.R. Robi... More
Matty's perilous situation up Salt River
A pro-Whig satire on the presidential campaign of 1840. Martin Van Buren is neck-deep in the waters of "Salt River," a colloquial term for political misfortune or failure. He sinks under the weight of boxes m... More
The celeste-al cabinet - Political cartoon, public domain image
A mild satire on Jackson and his Cabinet, portraying in imaginative terms a White House reception of popular French dancer and actress Madame Celeste. Seated in chairs in a White House parlor are six cabinet me... 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
Polk & Co. Going up Salt River - Public domain book illustration, Libr...
The artist foresees a Democratic defeat in the 1844 presidential election. Party figures Martin Van Buren, Thomas Hart Benton, vice-presidential candidate George M. Dallas, Andrew Jackson, and presidential nomi... More
A hard road to hoe! Or, the White House Turnpike, macadamized by the ...
A crude satire on the obstacles facing Van Buren's reelection effort in 1840. Weighed down by a large bundle labeled "Sub Treasury," Van Buren follows the lead of Andrew Jackson toward the White House. His wa... More
Cleansing the Augean stable - Public domain book scan / drawing
A pro-Whig satire, envisioning the cleansing of the "Augean Stable" of government corruption by presidential candidate Henry Clay and other Whigs. The title derives from one of the twelve mythical labors of Her... More
All fours-important state of the game-the knave about to be lost
The presidential campaign of 1836 viewed as a card game by a satirist in sympathy with the Whigs. Opposing candidates Martin Van Buren (Democrat) and William Henry Harrison (Whig) face each other across a card... More
Loco Foco and nulification nuptials, Political Cartoon
A satire on the surprising alliance, forged early in the presidential campaign of 1840, between the Van Buren administration and southern or "nullification" Whigs in the circle of John Calhoun. At left editor ... More
The mountain in labor - Public domain book illustration, Library of Co...
The artist employs Aesop's fable about the mountain which was said to be in labor, its dreadful groans attracting expectant crowds only to be disappointed when it issued forth a small mouse. Here the mountain i... More
The political barbecue. Book illustration from Library of Congress
Andrew Jackson is roasted over the fires of "Public Opinion" by the figure of Justice in a cartoon relating to the controversy surrounding Jackson's removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United State... More
Sub-treasury system, or Office holders elysium
Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt St., 11 1/2 Wall Street. & 38 Chatham Strt. N.Y. Title appears as it is written on the item. Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)
The little magician invoked - Public domain book scan / drawing
Martin Van Buren, known as "the Little Magician" for his remarkable political agility, summons spirits to divine the Democratic or "Loco Foco" prospects for election in 1844. He sits in an astrological circle, ... More
The ship of state on a lee shore, experienced hands coming to her res...
The artist forecasts a Whig electoral victory and dramatizes the politically ruinous effects of Van Buren's fiscal policy and his alignment with Loco Foco forces in New York. Whig candidate William Henry Harri... More
Rats quitting the ship - Public domain book illustration, Library of C...
Postmaster general Amos Kendall's 1840 resignation prompted the artist's speculation on the desertion of other Van Buren cabinet members. Kendall resigned on May 16, to concentrate on editing the "Extra Globe,"... More
The candidate of many parties. A phrenological examination to ascertai...
Whig nominee Zachary Taylor's reluctance to clearly declare his political views was an issue eagerly exploited by the opposition in the 1848 campaign. Here the artist shows phrenologist Orson S. Fowler probing... More
"Sober second thought". Book illustration from Library of Congress
Another of HD's portrayals of the New York tradesman's "sober second thoughts" about his support of Democratic hard-money fiscal policies. (See also "Specie Claws," no. 1838-14.) Both prints touch upon the the ... More
Black C.C. or the three Judas's
The cartoon pertains to some instance of corruption in the Van Buren administration. Van Buren shovels coins from a great pile into a bag held by a man (probably a federal judge), who urges him, "Matty fill up... More
Sale of dogs - Political cartoon, public domain image
Seeking a middle course between the issues of the annexation of Texas on one hand and abolitionism on the other, Van Buren lost the support of southern Democrats, including elderly statesman Andrew Jackson. Her... More
The little magician & the modern witch of Endor
Another satire on Van Buren's alliance with extremists, here personified by radical abolitionist Abby Folsom. Van Buren's emergence as candidate of the Free Soil party in the 1848 presidential race was viewed a... More