Getting their backs up
Subject(s): Belgium, Cats, Debt--Public, Dogs, England, France, Germany, International relations, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Venezuela
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A bull dog labeled “England,” a whippet (or greyhound) labeled “Italy,” and a dachshund labeled “Germany” gather around a dish labeled “Preferred Claims” full of food labeled “Venezuela.” Sitting above them on a fence are four cats labeled “Belgium, Spain, France, [and] Holland” with the fur on their backs raised. Both cats and dogs are seeking payment from Venezuela for its international debts.
Comments and Context
This cover cartoon expands upon Joseph Keppler’s cartoon of the previous week in Puck, which showed only England, Germany, and Italy as animals hungry to collect financial claims again the outlaw government in Venezuela. Here, Pughe adds four cats, on the fence, howling for their own just claims. The only nation both cartoons ignored was the United States, which had its own claims. Cartoons on the same topic in the weekly magazine indicate what a hot topic the Venezuelan debt crisis was, and it led to President Roosevelt formulating the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1903-02-18
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
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:
Getting their backs up. [February 18, 1903]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277191. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. Getting their backs up. [18 Feb. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. August 3, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277191.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1903, February 18]. Getting their backs up.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277191.
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. August 3, 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.
