Art Wood, an award-winning political cartoonist himself, collected more than 16,000 political cartoons by hundreds of the leading creators of the 'ungentlemanly art,' a phrase that is commonly used to describe this type of graphic satire. He used the word “illustration” to describe the enormous talent and craft that went into a work of art produced to capture a moment in time. From the nineteenth century's Gilded Age to recent times, political illustrations have appeared in magazines, editorial pages, opinion pages, and even on the front pages of American newspapers. These visual editorials reflect multiple viewpoints conveyed by a wide variety of artistic approaches, including the classic cross hatching techniques of Harper's Weekly cartoonist Thomas Nast, the sweeping brush work of Ding Darling, the rich crayon line work of Rube Goldberg and Bill Mauldin, and the painterly styles of contemporary cartoonists Paul Conrad and Patrick Oliphant. The broad spectrum of political perspectives informs our understanding not only of the past but also of the present.
Thomas Nast
Senator James G. Blaine was an extremely popular Republican politician in the nineteenth century. He might have been elected president if he had not been continually dogged by charges of corruption. In 1888, when Blaine returned from a lengthy European trip, he refused to run for president, and instead supported Benjamin Harrison's campaign. However, Blaine's enormous popularity caused cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840–1902) to characterize him as the “uncrowned king” of the Republican Party. Nast defined American political cartooning in the nineteenth century. Through his work for Harper's Weekly, he popularized such American political symbols as the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey.
Thomas Nast. The Crown Covers a Multitude of Shortcomings. Sir James (G.B.) “No one will miss it now, you know,” 1888. Published in The Daily Graphic, September 27, 1888. Ink with scraping out over graphite underdrawing. Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (1)
