The coming of William Jennings Lohengrin
Subject(s): Belmont, Perry, 1850-1947, Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925, Jones, James K. (James Kimbrough), 1839-1908, Ryan, Thomas Fortune, 1851-1928, Stage lighting, Swan-knight (Legendary character), Theater--Production and direction, Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery, Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883
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Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin is being performed. At center, William Jennings Bryan appears in the role of Lohengrin, Knight of the Swan, who has just arrived, to the delight of “Miss Democracy,” standing on the left, in the role of Elsa, and to the chagrin of Perry Belmont and Thomas Fortune Ryan, standing on the right, who are playing the roles of Friedrich of Telramund and his wife Ortrud. James K. Jones plays the role of the King, seated on a throne on the left beneath a shield labeled “Jefferson.” A large supporting cast appears on each side.
Comments and Context
Through its life, and especially in its early years, Puck assumed its readership was familiar with classical references, especially German operas (the magazine originally was a German-language weekly, and published a German edition for many years).
Nonetheless, the general public largely was familiar with the legend of Parsifal, his son Lohengrin, and such mythical figures. Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin frequently was performed and — in the famous jest of humorist Bill Nye, “the music of Wagner is not as bad as it sounds.”
A knowledge of the opera’s tenth-century roots is essential to understand Carl Hassmann’s cartoon. William Jennings Bryan had recently returned to America from a lengthy worldwide tour, and immediately announced his intention to again contend for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1908. Hassmann could have chosen any allusion, any metaphor, any scenario, but he chose the tragic finale of Lohengrin.
In appearance this is a grand return of the Swan Prince Lohengrin, and an embrace of his mortal beloved, Elsa (“Miss Democracy”). However, the revelations of gods and mortals doomed their relationships, and Elsa would swoon and die. Meanwhile, the scheming Ortrud (here as the maiden of Friedrich of Telramund), representing, respectively, the financier Thomas Fortune Ryan and wealthy Democratic power-broker Perry Belmont (both Tammany-connected) is revealed as a witch and banished. Lohengrin, led by a heaven-sent dove, but alone, proceeds to his Castle of the Holy Grail.
Simple or complicated, the imagery and meaning of Hassmann’s cartoon portends little but loud and tragic doom for Bryan’s next act.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-08-15
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 coming of William Jennings Lohengrin. [August 15, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278565. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Hassmann, Carl, 1869-1933. The coming of William Jennings Lohengrin. [15 Aug. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278565.
APA:
Hassmann, Carl, 1869-1933., [1906, August 15]. The coming of William Jennings Lohengrin.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278565.
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.
