Siegfried the Fearless in an Eerie Political Swamp, by Joseph Keppler, Puck, 1887 December 28
Item — Box: 1, Folder: 16
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.
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: 1887 December 28
Creator
- Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894 (Person)
Access:
Anyone may access these political cartoons.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Political cartoon
Condition Note:
Fair. Material has yellowed and has small tears in the center where the paper was ripped out of the magazine binding.
Measurements:
18 x 12.5 in
Title:
Siegfried der furchtlose in einem unheimlichen politischen Sumpf.
Description:
The cartoon shows a swamp setting with a man, Grover Cleveland, fighting a dragon that is labeled, “War Tariff” with a sword that is labeled, “Sound Policy.” Surrounding the scene are numerous animals with human faces. The top left is an owl depicting Charles J. Folger, a bat, John Sherman, an opossum James G. Blaine, a goat, Thomas C. Platt, a snake, Johann Most, two cranes, William M. Evarts and Whitelaw Reid, a frog, Benjamin Butler, two vultures, Joseph Pulitzer and Charles A. Dana, a boar, Joseph B. Foraker, and finally a porcupine, Jacob H. Sharp. There are two tails sticking up from holes in the dirt by the boar and porcupine that are labeled, “McGlynn” and “H. George”. These two tails represent Edward McGlynn and Henry George. In between the vultures is a bone labeled “circulation.” In the water above the goat are the words, “Dead Issues.” Below the bat is a ghost that is labeled “Bloody Shirt.” The cartoon is by Joseph Keppler for Puck magazine. Keppler’s cartoon is depicting Grover Clevlend, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, fighting against high war tariffs with sound policymaking. Clevlend is dressed like Siegfried and is fighting a dragon resembling Fafner from the opera, Siegfried. Most democrats were opposed to high tariffs, this is why most of the politicians depicted as animals are either Republican or just generally opposed to Cleveland. The bone represents the mass circulation era which accounted for the widespread thoughts and opinions of the time. The ghost, “Bloody shirt” represents a phrase used by Republicans that was anti-Democratic. This appearing as a ghost may be Keppler saying he thinks this phrase doesn’t have any power anymore and is merely a ghost. Keppler is an Austrian satirical cartoonist. Keppler studied art in Vienna and drew cartoons for Kikeriki before getting a job as a set painter and art restorer. In 1848 he moved to the United States to work as an actor before helping with Die Vehme, and then Frank und Frei. Finally he began working for Puck in 1871, until 1872. Keppler is credited for helping Puck regain popularity and for creating the english version. The back of the cartoon features some unrelated cartoons and articles.
Transcription:
The title is written below the cartoon, “Siegfried der furchtlose in einem unheimlichen politischen Sumpf,” which translates to, “Seigfried the Fearless in an Eerie Political Swamp.”
- Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893.
- Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893.
- Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908.
- Dana Charles Anderson, 1819-1897
- Evarts, William Maxwell, 1818-1901.
- Folger, Charles J. (Charles James), 1818-1884
- Foraker, Joseph Benson, 1846-1917
- George, Henry, 1839-1897
- McGlynn, Edward, 1837-1900
- Most, Johann Joseph, 1846-1906
- Platt, Thomas Collier, 1833-1910
- Pulitzer, Joseph, 1847-1911
- Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912.
- Sharp, Jacob Hunter, 1833-1907
- Sherman, John, 1823-1900.
Creator
- Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu