The tenement – a menace to all
Subject(s): Alcoholism, Crime, Gambling, Ghosts, Grim Reaper (Symbolic character), Prostitution, Tenement houses
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The spirits of alcoholism, opium dens, prostitution, gambling, and street crime, as well as the figure of Death, issue from a tenement house. Caption: Not only an evil in itself, but the vice, crime and disease it breeds invade the homes of rich and poor alike.
Comments and Context
This cartoon, effective in its simplicity, is an example of Puck‘s drift, similar to many magazines and newspapers of the day, from partisanship to social criticism. Its counterpart in literature was Naturalism, which was a focus on the uglier aspects of urban life (caused in part by unprecedented numbers of immigrants; 1900-1910 was the highest number of foreign arrivals) and what Theodore Roosevelt would call Social and Industrial Injustice.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1901-03-20
Creator(s)
Period
Vice President of the United States (1901)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The tenement – a menace to all. [March 20, 1901]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275823. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. The tenement – a menace to all. [20 Mar. 1901]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275823.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1901, March 20]. The tenement – a menace to all.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275823.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
