The infant Hercules and the Standard Oil serpents
Subject(s): Aldrich, Nelson W. (Nelson Wilmarth), 1841-1915, Hercules (Roman mythological character), Rockefeller, John D. (John Davison), 1839-1937, Snakes, Standard Oil Company
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Theodore Roosevelt, as the infant Hercules, fights large snakes with the heads of Nelson W. Aldrich and John D. Rockefeller.
Comments and Context
Once again Puck harkened back to classical mythology for a cartoon inspiration. In fact from its first days in the mid-1870s the magazine required of its readers a basic familiarity with mythology, opera, and Shakespeare, for its frequent allusions.
The significance of Frank A. Nankivell’s cover cartoon goes beyond an assumption that readers knew about the story of Hercules. There are no labels, going against the norm for cartoons of this era. Readers would be expected to recognize President Roosevelt, but researchers of subsequent times will note that neither Senator Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island (the Senate’s powerful boss) nor Standard Oil’s John D. Rockefeller, are identified. Their faces were familiar to all, and so were the relative positions of power and friction among the three.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-05-23
Creator(s)
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959
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 infant Hercules and the Standard Oil serpents. [May 23, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278539. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959. The infant Hercules and the Standard Oil serpents. [23 May. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278539.
APA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959., [1906, May 23]. The infant Hercules and the Standard Oil serpents.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278539.
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. February 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.
