Going through the rapids
Subject(s): Courtship, Marriage proposals, Rich people
Click on image to zoom in
A young man asks his girlfriend’s father for her hand in marriage. Caption: Cholly — Mr. Jones, I want your daughter; – our mutual love is as strong and tumultuous as the rapids of Niagara. / Mr. Jones — Well, have you got a “barrel” big enough for two?
Comments and Context
Nankivell’s cartoon is a big target, satirizing multiple groups and attitudes of the day. The joke about having a “big enough barrel” refers to a slang term of the day: one’s fortune is a “barrel.” The depiction of the girl’s father shows him to be a parvenu; in the era of prosperity, there were many nouveau riche families aspiring to enter high society. Finally, while almost gratuitous, the aspiring bridegroom is a diminutive effeminate boyfriend. It then was common of cartoonists to portray American girls as pretty and assertive (like the Gibson Girl), and many of their suitors as sissies or impoverished foreigners.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1901-11-13
Creator(s)
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
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:
Going through the rapids. [November 13, 1901]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o276165. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959. Going through the rapids. [13 Nov. 1901]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o276165.
APA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959., [1901, November 13]. Going through the rapids.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o276165.
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. March 5, 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.
