Puck Sends His Compliments to Mr. Nast Once More, Puck, 1879

Item — Box: 1, Folder: 1

Staff Only

Scope and Content:

From the Collection: The Helen Farr Sloan’s political cartoon collection (1802-1950) contains a variety of prints of political cartoons, illustrations, and caricatures from several different magazines. The collection contains pages from magazines, pages from books, and other prints that were not a part of a publication. The magazines featured include Puck, Judge, Vanity Fair (British, 1868-1914), Vanity Fair (American, 1913-1936), Harper’s Weekly, Gil Blas, Le Charivari, Truth, The New Yorker, The Illustrated London News, The New York Herald, and The Sun. There are other series included like Treagar’s Black Jokes and Le Gens de Paris. There are works from publishers like S.W. Fores, Currier & Ives, and J.Sidebotham. Also included are works by Rowlandson, which are individually published.

The first series contains cartoons from Puck magazine. Its materials are pages and covers from the magazine including the fronts and backs of the pages. The artists that are included are Frederick Burr Opper, Frederich Graetz, Bernhard Gillam, J.S. Pughe, James Albert Wales, and Samuel Ehrhart.

The second series contains cartoons from Judge magazine. The materials are pages and covers from the magazine and include both the fronts and backs of the pages. The artists that are included are Thomas Worth, Bernhard Gillam, Victor Gillam, and Grant E. Hamilton.

The third series contains cartoons, caricatures, and portraits from Vanity Fair (British, 1868-1914) and Vanity Fair (American, 1913-1936) magazines. The materials for the British magazine include the one-sided caricatures and cartoons featured in the publication. The material for the American magazine contains a portrait on the front and a table of contents on the back of the page. The artists that are included are Carlo Pellegrini (Ape/Singe), James Tissot (Coïdé), Thomas Nast, Leslie Ward (Spy), and William Henry Cotton.

The fourth series contains cartoons from Harper’s Weekly magazine. The materials include the front and back side of pages from the magazine. The artists that are included are William L. Sheppard, Charles G. Bush, Thomas Nast, and A.B. Frost.

The fifth series contains cartoons, caricatures, and illustrations from various magazines and publications. The artists and their publications include Théophile Steinlin, from Gil Blas, Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier (Paul Gavarni), from Le Gens de Paris, Thomas Rowlandson, William Summers, from Tregear’s Black Jokes, Charles Williams, William Elmes, George Cruikshank, Isaac Robert Cruikshank, Jules Joseph Georges Renard (Draner), Charles Robinson, from The Illustrated London News, Thomas Worth, Richard F. Outcault, from the New York Herald, Helen E. Hokinson, from The New Yorker, Charles Amédée de Noé (Cham), from Le Charivari, Sydney B. Griffin, from Truth, Oscar Cesare, from The Sun, and William Bruns.

There are a wide variety of themes and events covered in the cartoons and illustrations throughout the collection. There are numerous presidential elections covered including the elections of 1806, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1892, and 1900. The 43rd and 54th Congresses are both represented within cartoons in the series. Other events that are shown in cartoons in the collection are the Chicago World’s Fair/World’s Columbian Exposition, the Spanish-American War, Reconstruction, and the Kansas Exodus. There are also many representations of the Democratic, Republican, Greenback, and Citizens parties as well as Tammany Hall. Other themes included are immigration, Jewish communities, social ambition, weather problems, voting rights, the gold standard vs. free silver debate, diseases, family roles, plantations, white supremacy groups, Communism, financial issues, militaries, pic-nic societies, King George IV’s court, political corruption, and social events and issues. A large number of the cartoons included in the collections are products of their times and therefore many include racist language and depictions. The transcriptions and metadata associated with each cartoon is described as is for the purpose of providing the easiest access to the collection and does in no way reflect the views of Wilkes University or its archive department.

Dates

Created: 1879

Access:

Anyone may access these political cartoons.

Extent

1 items

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Type of Material:

Political cartoon

Condition Note:

Fair. The material has yellowed and has multiple tears.

Measurements:

12.5 x 8.6 in

Title:

Puck Sends His Compliments to Mr. Nast Once More

Description:

This Puck magazine cartoon’s artist is not noted. This cartoon was created by a Puck editor as a way to mock Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly. The artist and editor are mocking cartoons previously done by Nast, either Halt!(included within the collection, or, The Chinese Question, in which Nast drew the woman referred to as Columbia or Lady Columbia. The Puck cartoon depicts Lady Columbia in a long dress and a crown angrily frowning. She is holding her arm out to the right, and in her other hand is a sword that says, “Constitution.” In the Nast cartoons Columbia is also either holding out her arm in protection, or holding out a sword that says “Constitution.” Thomas Nast was a supporter of the Republican party and their ideals which was reflected in his work. Puck, being a Democratic aligned publication, did not agree with the cartoons put out by Nast in Harper’s Weekly and were against immigration. Nast uses Columbia in many of his cartoons to show what he considers to be the ideal America, protecting minorities. This Puck cartoon depicts Columbia with an expression of anger or disgust differing to the typical strong expression Nast draws her with. To the left of Columbia is a man facing away from her, he is dressed in boots, pants, a jacket with a skull and two guns on its back, a white hood, and a white hat that says, “KUKU,” which is most likely a reference to the KKK since Nast commonly did cartoons that included white supremacy groups. He is holding a dagger behind him. Surrounding the woman are numerous posters. Starting from the top left corner they say, “What is A Dollar,” “The Shot Gun Must Not Prevail,” “We Americans” (with the image of a gun), “Might is Right,” “Solid,” “Yellow Fever Must and Shall Be Put Down,” “Why are…, Tremble BullDozers” (with the image of a skull), “Preserve O Preserve The Sanctity of the Pol(l)(e)s North & South Poles Liberty Poles Bean Poles,” “We Mean to Pay Our Debt,” “The Onion Must and Shall Be Preserved,” “The Devil is Loose,” “Some People Need Soft Soap More Than Others,” “…White Line,” “…Shot -Gun,” “Beware Jeff Davis Still Lives,” “…Pistol And…,” “Beware Solid South” (with the image of a skull), “Watch and Pr(e)ay Th Nast His Patent Joke,” “The Unions as it is (with the image of a gun), Solid (image of a sun, and eye, and the letter D, then image of a pig and T H) South,” and “We Know Our Rights.” It’s mentioned in the article that goes with the cartoon that this cartoon will “please all readers” and goes on to mention issues Nast has covered in his cartoons, even if Puck’s ideals do not align. Also written on the cartoon is “Watch and Pr(e)ay Th Nast his patent joke” mocking a cartoon done by Nast with the caption “Let us Prey,” both are using a play on words for prey and pray. The back of the cartoon has advertisements for companies and products like, “Vienna Coffee Pot,” “A. Heller & Bro. Hungarian Liquors, Wines, and Champagne,” “A. Werner & Co. Champagne,” “Mathesius & Frey Furniture,” “Dress Goods,” “Keppich & Co. Royal Havana,” “Tapeworm,” and advertisements for patents.

Transcription:

The title is printed above the cartoon, “Puck Sends His Compliments to Mr. Nast Once More!” The bottom left of the cartoon reads, “Our independent artist, finding ideas very scarce this week, has quietly left the last page to be filled by the unfortunate editor, who has been forced to avail himself of one of his esteemed friend Mr. Thomas Nast’s patent double-back-action reversible cartoons, suitable to all occasions, and to all weathers. What is sauce for the Harper’s is sauce for Puck. The reader can select for himself an idea appropriate to the young woman in the picture. Behold the world of the editorial genius. You pays your money and you takes your choice of ideas. This is a genuine Nast caption.”