Skilled labor
Subject(s): Interpersonal relations, Labor leaders, Labor unions, Pickpockets
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A labor union “Walking Delegate” with one hand pulls money from the pocket of a diminutive figure labeled “Employer” and with the other hand pulls money from the pocket of another diminutive figure labeled “Working Man.”
Comments and Context
This cartoon is one many that Puck published criticizing “Walking Delegates,” the title given to union organizers, labor representatives, negotiators, and, sometimes, advocates of strikes and everything in between. Their roles in the rise of organized labor in America are therefore varied.
In journals like Puck, mildly reform-minded and growing more radical on the subject of labor issues through 1900-1912, the Walking Delegate as a symbol, faceless and stereotyped, was a convenient target of the negative aspects of the labor movement, of “excesses.” And their view of the situation allowed for a snarky pun in the title.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1903-07-01
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:
Skilled labor. [July 1, 1903]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277298. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. Skilled labor. [1 Jul. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277298.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1903, July 1]. Skilled labor.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277298.
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 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.
