“Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow!” Richard III
Subject(s): Dreams, Ghosts, Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951, McKinley, William, 1843-1901, Richard III, King of England, 1452-1485
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William Randolph Hearst appears as Shakespeare’s Richard III in a dream-state when various ghosts appear before him. His armor hangs on a nearby wall in preparation for battle. The ghost of William McKinley speaks Clarence’s line, “Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow!”
Comments and Context
The most powerful indictment that Puck and cartoonist Udo J. Keppler could level against William Randolph Hearst in his quest to be governor of New York State appeared on the cover of the issue of election eve.
When the Hearst chain of newspapers was at its most radical, virtually promoting socialism and encouraging labor strife, it daily excoriated President William McKinley in editorials, cartoons, and manufactured “news” stories. One of Hearst’s writers, reportedly Ambrose Bierce, wrote following poem referring to the slain governor of Kentucky:
“The bullet that pierced Goebel’s breast / Cannot be found in all the west. / Good reason: it is speeding here / To stretch McKinley on his bier.” It was rumored that the assassin had the clipping in his pocket when he shot McKinley.
Many political sins and circulation stunts could be forgiven the enterprising publisher, but it took a long time for America — for Keppler and Puck readers, anyway — to forgive and forget Hearst’s implied role five years earlier.
For those researchers interested in Puck‘s printing technology, at this time the magazine’s cartoonists were mostly drawing the front-page, back-page, and center-spread cartoons in ink, black and white; then watercoloring prints, which then were photo-mechanically separated. It lent Puck‘s cartoons a richness of color that stone lithography could not always achieve.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-10-31
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:
“Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow!” Richard III. [October 31, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o279023. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. “Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow!” Richard III. [31 Oct. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. July 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o279023.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1906, October 31]. “Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow!” Richard III.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o279023.
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. July 15, 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.
