Click on image to zoom in
William Jennings Bryan, as Romeo, hangs off a balcony, speaking to an old woman labeled “Democracy” as Juliet, with “Nurse Grover” Cleveland standing behind her. The full moon in the upper left is labeled “Free Silver.” Standing in the bushes below is William Randolph Hearst. Caption: Romeo — Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear, that tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops- / Juliet — Oh, swear not by the moon, that twice inconstant moon! / Romeo — All right, I’ll cut it out! It’s a dead one anyway!
Comments and Context
A sign of more literate times is this Puck cartoon based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. More than a riff on “Wherefore art thou, Romeo?” cartoonist Udo J. Keppler assumes readers’ familiarity with other characters from the play, as well as current politics.
William Jennings Bryan had been on a world tour tour through 1905-06, visiting many cities of the world and meeting notables in government and culture. There was intense speculation in the United States about whether the Democratic Party would turn to him a third time to ruin for president; or whether he actually was interested. There were very few fresh faces among Democratic aspirants, but more than a few old-timers and former Populists. Almost by default the yellow journalist William Randolph Hearst, then a radical and a two-term congressman with open presidential ambitions, was available to fill the vacuum.
There was no doubt, virtually when Bryan stepped his first foot on American soil, that he was hungry for a third attempt at the White House. With the part in a fairly conservative mood in 1904, her had sat out that contest, 1908 beckoned.
In this cartoon, therefore, Keppler posits the political situation perfectly, in Shakespearean context, adding a stunning caricature of the “Great Commoner” Bryan. The Democratic Party — Juliet — is not as attractive as playgoers remember. Keppler is probably implying that it was an era of Republican dominance, and the romancer might be doomed. Grover Cleveland as the Nurse would have reflected the character’s earthy practicality (Cleveland was the party’s elder statesman, a two-term former president).
Down on the ground is Hearst in the role of Mercutio — in the play and perhaps in real, political, life, a cunning, biting, scheming, loyal-to-a-point friend and adviser to Romeo-Bryan.
“That twice inconstant moon,” labeled Free Silver, one of the albatrosses around the failed candidate in 1896 and 1900, is addressed by the nervous Juliet-Democratic Party. There were many Democrats, perhaps Cleveland himself, who hoped Bryan would drop his obsession with fiat currency. Such was the hope, reflected by Keppler, when Bryan returned to America. But it was not to be.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-07-11
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:
Anything to oblige. [July 11, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278554. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. Anything to oblige. [11 Jul. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278554.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1906, July 11]. Anything to oblige.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278554.
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.
