The national bird of prey
Subject(s): Birds of prey, Corruption, Dinners and dining, Legislators, Nests, Rockefeller, John D. (John Davison), 1839-1937, Vultures
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A large “Corporate Vulture”, wearing a cap usually associated with John D. Rockefeller, feeds a bag of “Dough” to a chick labeled “‘Our’ Senators.” Two other chicks in the nest, which is made of money, are labeled “‘Our’ Legislatures” and “‘Our’ Judges.”
Comments and Context
With little subtlety, and a caricature (with trademark skull cap) so dispositive as to require no label, cartoonist J.S. Pughe savaged the Standard Oil mogul John D. Rockefeller in this Puck cover.
Without the graphic hyperbole, the situation depicted in the cartoon was true. At first it was the wealth in coffers of companies like Standard Oil that enabled Rockefeller and his counterparts to influence the legislatures, solons, and platforms in states where the trusts were headquartered.
But as the monopolies grew even wealthier, and then employed “vertical organization” — control of products from mines, wells, forests, etc., all the way through refining, manufacture, secondary products, distribution, and sales — that most corporations had feet, or nests, in multiple states. It was merely another means to do business, when senators, judges, and legislatures (which at the time elected Senators — not popular votes) were virtually for sale.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1905-09-06
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
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 national bird of prey. [September 6, 1905]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278385. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. The national bird of prey. [6 Sep. 1905]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278385.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1905, September 6]. The national bird of prey.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278385.
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.
