“L’Etat, c’est moi”

President Theodore Roosevelt crowns himself as emperor.

comments and context

Comments and Context

As the 1904 campaign commenced, with candidates chosen and party machines arming themselves, some traditional views and roles returned to the tumultuous political scene. It was the first relatively normal contest since at least 1896, when the sudden rise of the radical Populist Party shook the system; in 1900 the issues of war and “imperialism” asserted themselves; and the subsequent assassination of President McKinley dominated the news. Theodore Roosevelt’s administration was a constant swirl — the popular president sued the trusts, forcefully acted to acquire rights for a Panama Canal. Roosevelt also starred on the world stage in another role: as peacemaker between Russia and Japan.

A national presidential election might have felt like an emotional oasis. As part of a return to form, this cartoon from Puck confirms the undercurrents in the election. Puck, traditionally a Democratic weekly journal, published many complimentary, even adulatory, cartoons about Roosevelt during his first term. It praised both his conservative instincts (Democrat William Jennings Bryan was too radical for the magazine) and his reform achievements.

In 1904 Puck reverted to form and attacked Roosevelt, sometimes mildly (in the end, it was uncomfortably ambiguous about an endorsement of his rival, Judge Alton Brooks Parker); and sometimes censorious. An example of the latter mode is this cartoon by Joseph Keppler Junior.

In addition to serving its traditional readership, several factors likely were at play: At times in their histories, magazines like Puck and Judge received outright funding from the major political parties (Democrat and Republican, respectively) — a peripheral testimony of the power of cartoons! During important political times, wealthy “angels” like Standard Oil propped up opinion journals (as with Harper’s Weekly in 1912) to influence public opinion. Puck, beginning to struggle in 1904 against its rival publications, no doubt wanted to please its base and attract readers. In those days campaigns would purchase quantities of magazines with favorable contents for random distribution. In 1904 Puck hired a new editor in chief, John Kendrick Bangs, who had also written editorials for Harper’s Monthly and Weekly, whose Democratic leanings were strong.

All of these factors were probable reasons that Puck drew cartoons no longer praising President Roosevelt for particular, major things; and finding fault with minor acts or vague tendencies. Roosevelt-as-aspiring-monarch became a recurring theme.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1904-08-24

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

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

Cartoon

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation