The gobbler’s dream
Subject(s): Animals, Dreams, Laughter, Thanksgiving Day, Turkeys
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A turkey sits on a tree branch, dreaming of a “Vegetarian Pledge” and countless people lining up to sign their names. All the wild and domestic animals laugh. In the lower right corner, an old man with an axe waits for the turkey.
Comments and Context
The major cartoon weeklies of the time had virtual designees as specialists in animal cartoons. Anthropomorphic creatures were a staple of American humor at the time — in fact, since Aesop — but cartoonists joined the ranks at this time. J. S. Pughe was the most prominent of Puck’s animal cartoonists.
The cartoonist must have relished this subject in Puck‘s 1904 Thanksgiving issue. It presents itself as a plea for vegetarianism, not merely a traditional gag urging sympathy for the poor turkey (in a day when American still slaughtered their own chickens and turkeys for dinners). A generic group of citizens, identified in their variety by dress and occupation, marches to sign a pledge as a chorus of animals watch with glee. The man signing the pledge bears a resemblance to cartoonist Pughe himself!
Of course, the whole scene is actually a dream of the smiling turkey, left; and the smiling farmer with a waiting axe on the right.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1904-11-23
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:
The gobbler’s dream. [November 23, 1904]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278052. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. The gobbler’s dream. [23 Nov. 1904]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278052.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1904, November 23]. The gobbler’s dream.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278052.
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.
