The gentlemen from New York
Subject(s): Actors, Depew, Chauncey M. (Chauncey Mitchell), 1834-1928, New York (State), Older people, Platt, Thomas Collier, 1833-1910, Politicians
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Thomas Collier Platt and Chauncey M. Depew appear in 16th century theatrical costumes in a scene from a Shakespearean play. Caption: Falstaff Depew (to Prince Hal Platt) — I would to God thou and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be bought.–King Henry IV.
Comments and Context
Week by week in his magazine Puck at this time, cartoonist Udo J. Keppler was proving himself to be America’s foremost political caricaturist, perhaps the superior of his father who founded Puck; yet he is relatively obscure to history. This example is not a mere excuse to festoon two ugly faces on the weekly’s cover, but Keppler made a salient point, as per usual, about his political targets.
In this cartoon he addresses the anomaly of New York’s situation — two of the nation’s most seasoned public figures served as its senators in Washington. At one time these men were possibly among the most respected, but certainly among the most powerful and influential in American politics. Platt had been the protege of New York’s “Stalwart” boss Roscoe Conkling, and rose to dominate state politics, and national issues, as few had. Chauncey M. Depew was a Republican almost from the national party’s founding; he had served in many positions, sat on corporate boards, was the retired president of the New York Central Railroad, and was a published humorist.
They were great in their day, but their days probably peaked in the 1880s or so. In other words, they had become “back numbers,” their power waning, very nearly caricatures of their former selves. That situation, of course, is red meat for ravenous cartoonists. Even without the Shakespearean lines, Keppler’s depictions seem fairly like portraits instead, morose as the aged solons realistically must have been.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-01-10
Creator(s)
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 gentlemen from New York. [January 10, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278477. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. The gentlemen from New York. [10 Jan. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278477.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1906, January 10]. The gentlemen from New York.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278477.
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.
