The Wall Street Persians and the Washington Egyptians
Subject(s): Capitalists and financiers, Cats, Depew, Chauncey M. (Chauncey Mitchell), 1834-1928, Middle East--Pelusium (Extinct city), Rockefeller, John D. (John Davison), 1839-1937, Stock Market (Firm), Trusts, Industrial, Wall Street
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The battle of Pelusium is depicted, with the Persians identified as having “Vested Interests” belonging to a “Wall Street Syndicate” or a “Railroad Trust,” throwing cats labeled “Small Stock Holder, Small Investor, Widow, Little Stock Holder, [and] Orphan” at the bewildered Egyptians who are outside a building labeled “Administration” and flying a banner labeled “Federal Prosecution.” Caption: At the battle of Pelusium, between Egypt and Persia, the Persians armed themselves with cats, the sacred animals of Egypt. The disconcerted Egyptians dared not shoot their arrows, for fear of hitting holy cats.
Comments and Context
Reduced to basic elements and message, this double-page cartoon by L. M. Glackens in Puck basically depicts a public-relations counterattack by trusts and financial interests after frequent drubbing by the Muckraking press and a raft of reform legislation and regulations, all coming to a head in 1906.
The trusts and their allies in Congress and the press mounted publicity campaigns to soften their image. Advertising for products from major trusts became “softer,” appealing to wives, mothers, and families. Cigarette companies began issuing coupons, prizes, and cards and celluloid pins, as customer bonuses. Speeches in Congress, as per reading old Congressional Record transcripts, are filled with sympathy for put-upon corporations and nonsensical news stories of rogue prosecutors harassing (for instance) seven factory workers for forming a trust on their job site.
It was all, in the end, about as effective as throwing cats at a fortress, but the “interests” and their voices in politics and the press made the fight anyway. By the way, Glackens drew all of the antagonists as generic figures, no specific moguls, and no identifiable “Administration” figures or allies.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1907-03-27
Creator(s)
Glackens, L. M. (Louis M.), 1866-1933
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 Wall Street Persians and the Washington Egyptians. [March 27, 1907]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285730. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Glackens, L. M. (Louis M.), 1866-1933. The Wall Street Persians and the Washington Egyptians. [27 Mar. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285730.
APA:
Glackens, L. M. (Louis M.), 1866-1933., [1907, March 27]. The Wall Street Persians and the Washington Egyptians.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285730.
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 26, 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.
