Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894

The mighty meeting of the Masons

Four elderly men wearing Masonic uniforms stand between the Masonic pillars labeled “Boaz” and “Jachin” that look like barber poles. The men are performing a song and dance routine. Caption: When one’s a Mason, However snide, / He must aprons place on And collars wide. / Then he’ll pass from “Labor” – Which is swopping grips, / With his “brother” neighbor, To “Refreshment” – nips. Conspirators’ Chorus in “la Fille de Mme. Angot” – New Version.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-06-14

First annual picnic of the “Knights of Labor” – more fun for the spectators than for the performers

Print shows Jay Gould, William H. Vanderbilt, Cyrus W. Field, Russell Sage, and John Roach riding in a carriage past a crowd of laborers labeled “Knights of Labor” and “Pittsburg Free Strikers” who are watching a man labeled “Workingman” trying to climb a “Greased” pole carrying a child on his back and with a woman and child hanging from his belt. The pole is greased with “Monopoly Grease,” at the top are “Higher Wages, Bread, Tobacco, Wine, [and] Ham.” The view from the pole shows factories in the middle distance and the “Roach Monopolist Ship Builder” facility in the background.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-06-21

The murderer’s straight route to heaven – bringing religion into disrepute

Print shows the spirit of an executed murderer rising to Heaven as a minister wipes clean the “Blackboard of Crime” on which are “Murder, Arson, [and] Robb[ery]” with the “Sponge of Absolution” as “years of sin [are] wiped out in ten minutes.” Meanwhile “the wife of the victim experiences Hell on Earth” at a cemetery in the upper left, and “the ‘unprepared’ victim” descends to the flames of “Purgatory” accompanied by devils.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-06-28

Two of a kind

In a confrontation between a pope and the leader of a rival spiritual organization, the pope carries a banner that states “Papal Encyclical – You’re a Humbug and you Dupe the People!!” The other side has a banner that states “You’re Another.” Both sides carry objects labeled “Mummery.” Puck stands at center, in the background, cheering them on.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-05-07

More than she can carry

Whitelaw Reid places a bundled-up package labeled “Blaine” and “Rotten Record” on top of a large pile in a basket being carried by a woman labeled “Republican Party” who is stooped under the burden and leaning on a staff labeled “War Record.” Others already in the basket are “Kellogg” labeled “Returning Board & Star Ro,” “Keifer” labeled “Speakership Corruption,” “Dorsey” labeled “Star Route Swindle,” “Brady” labeled “Star Route Swindle,” “Robeson” labeled “Navy Ring,” “Grant’s IId Term Washington Ring,” and “Belknap” who resigned as Grant’s Secretary of War in 1876. A man labeled “Phelps Whitewasher” is holding the ladder for Reid.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-05-14

A Wall Street cleaner

A woman labeled “Legitimate Business” cracks a whip that spells “Crash.” She is driving a two-wheeled cart drawn by two horses with a large brush labeled “No Over-Certification Clearing House” attached, sweeping Wall Street clean of men labeled “Stock Jobber” and “Stock Gambler.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-05-21

British benevolence

Print shows an oversized British Lion wearing boxing gloves labeled “Army” and “Navy,” standing over its most recent victim labeled “Egyptian.” Trailing off to the left are other victims labeled “Ashantee, Afghan, Boer, [and] Zulu.” Standing on the right is a diminutive Irishman pulling on boxing gloves labeled “Fenian.” Caption: “It is painful to be obliged to use force against the weak.” –Earl Granville in House of Lords.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-07-19

An unpleasant ride through the presidential “haunted forest”

Uncle Sam and Dame Democracy ride in a horse-drawn carriage through a forest where 21 or 22 faces of presidential hopefuls can be seen in the trees, rocks, and grasses, and have spooked the horses at the approach to a bridge. Samuel J. Tilden, not a candidate in 1884, is the only person depicted full-length.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-05-28

“With thee to support me, I defy the whole world!”

Print shows George M. Robeson dressed as a sailor and labeled “Leader of the Republican Party” and “Republican Champion,” leaning on a large duffel bag labeled “Surplus $150,000,000.” A group of men standing on the left appear to be denouncing him.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-07-26

Democracy’s opportunity

A man labeled “Republican War Record” stands in a pond labeled “Republican Corruption Water,” yelling to an Irishman wearing a hat labeled “Democracy,” gathering up the Republican’s clothing labeled “Tariff Reform, Free Canal, [and] Reduction Tax,” and a top hat labeled “Civil Service Reform” which he has placed on top of his own hat. His own tattered clothes are patched with “Ignorance, Poverty, Stupidity, Bourbonism, [and] Secession Record.” Caption: Republican “Hey, what can I do without them?” Democracy “What have you done with them – only cast them off!”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-08-02

A grand Shakesperian [sic] revival

Print shows Chester A. Arthur as King Henry IV on a cobblestone street, with Jay Gould and William H. Vanderbilt holding his cape, and accompanied by John P. Jones; he is accosted by Roscoe “Sir John” Conkling who proposes to speak on behalf of Thomas C. “Master Shallow” Platt. Behind them are Thomas J. Brady and Stephen W. Dorsey. Ulysses S. Grant and John A. Logan are standing on the left, at the head of Arthur’s entourage. Includes text for brief exchange between Arthur and Conkling from “(2nd Part of King Henry IV, Act V – Sc. 5)”. Caption: (Which we have but little hope of seeing on the stage of the National Capitol).

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-10-05

A presidential conjuror

President Arthur appears as a magician on a stage, pulling cards out of a hat and tossing them into the audience. The cards are labeled “Secretary of Navy, Foreign Minister, Interior, Consulate, Collectorship, Soft Soap, Minister to Turkey, Quashed Endictment, Secretary of War, Protection, Postmaster, Promises, Gratitude, [and] Reciprocity.” On the stage are other magic devices, a “Great Machine Trick” showing cards and labeled “New Political Deal Trick,” a wheel labeled “Stalwartism Neutrality Halfbreedism,” a bottle labeled “Ever-lasting Patronage Bottle,” a cone labeled “Great Veto Extinguish Trick,” and a drum labeled “Last Grand Trick Resignation.” Among those in the audience are Carl Schurz, John A. Logan, Thomas De Witt Talmage, David Davis, Joseph W. Keifer, John P. Jones, Stephen W. Dorsey, Thomas J. Brady, William M. Evarts, Benjamin F. Butler, and Samuel J. Kirkwood. Caption: What Mr. Arthur must be to satisfy all the politicians.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-10-12

Puck’s own Yorktown celebration

Print shows Puck sitting on a wooden cut-out Pegasus reviewing a procession of soldiers, among whom are John A. Logan, Roscoe Conkling carrying a flag labeled “Third Term”, Joseph W. Keifer, William M. Evarts, David Davis, James G. Bennett, John Kelly, Cyrus W. Field, William H. Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, Samuel J. Tilden, Benjamin F. Butler, Thomas De Witt Talmage, and riding on horseback, Henry Ward Beecher. Following the soldiers, in the background on the right, is a float showing an old soldier labeled “Our Army” and a decrepit ship labeled “Our Navy”. In the background, on the left, is a reviewing stand for the “Foreign Guests”, with a French flag on one side and a German flag on the other. Caption: His army of contributors passing in review before our foreign guests.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-10-19

Thomas L. James, the man who stamped out the Star Route swindle

Print shows a full-length portrait of Thomas L. James, Postmaster General, standing, facing left, among papers emblazoned with stars littering the floor, holding a stamp labeled “Indicment” [sic] in his right hand.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-10-19

Where Justice will have to look for jurors who have not formed an opinion in the Guiteau case

Justice, holding a large sword and carrying a lantern, and with a cloth labeled “Justice” over her mouth, searches a cemetery, among tombstones labeled “Formed no opinion died 1660, Formed no opinion 1600, Haven’t read papers 1776, [and] No opinion died 1670,” for jurors who are uninformed of the assassination of President James A. Garfield. The image includes an insert showing a man hanging from a gibbet labeled “Verdict of 50,000,000 Illustrated.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-10-26

The writing on the wall

At a dinner party is presidential candidate James Gillespie Blaine, who is trying to cover himself with pages of the New York Tribune, and by his side, vice-presidential candidate John A. Logan. Seated around a table set with “Pension Pie, Monopoly Stew, [and] Star Route Shortcake” are James W. Husted, Chancey M. Depew, Powell Clayton, Joseph Medill, Stephen W. Dorsey, Thomas J. Brady, a man identified as “Elkins,” William H. Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, Cyrus W. Field, Whitelaw Reid on his feet, John Roach, and Robert G. Ingersoll fleeing with a bone labeled “Star Route Spoils.” Blaine wears an “Anti-Sunstroke Cabbage Leaf” on his head, to which is attached a quill pen labeled “Gail Hamilton.” Projected onto a wall at the far end of the room are the words “Republican Revolt,” which has frightened everyone in the room.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-06-18

“A sail! A sail!!”

A woman labeled “Dem. Party” reclines on the rocky coast of a deserted island. Nearby is an empty jug labeled “Bourbonism the Only Subsistence for 16 Years (1860-76)” and a broken cask labeled “For 8 Years (1876-84) Sustained Life on the Fraud Issue.” She has sighted a ship labeled “Independent Republicans” headed her way. John Kelly, dressed like an Indian, is creeping over rocks on the right. He holds a bow labeled “Tammany” in one hand and an arrow labeled “Deal” in the other, and he wears a medallion around his neck labeled “J.K.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-07-02

“Sic ’em!”

Print shows Charles Stewart Parnell, a prisoner in the “Kilmainham Kaboose”, directing a pack of small dogs labeled “Healy, Kettle, Egan, O’Connor, Dillon, Davitt, Sexton, [and] Brennan” to attack the British Lion, instead they scatter in all directions. Caption: Mr. Parnell in his great feat of letting loose the dogs of war.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-10-26

Adelina Patti, the everlasting prima-donna

Print shows Adelina Patti, full-length portrait, standing, facing front, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-12-21

Escaping from the old shell

Print shows a moth or butterfly labeled “N.Y. County Democracy” with bust portraits of Lucius Robinson, Abram S. Hewitt, Samuel J. Tilden, and Clarkson N. Potter on the wings; it has just emerged from a pupa labeled “Tammany” with the face of John Kelly, and is flying toward a flower blossom labeled “1884”.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1881-11-02