“Teddy doodle”
Subject(s): Fife and drum corps music, Presidents--Nomination, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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Three members of a fife and drum corp marching into battle all have the face and figure of Theodore Roosevelt.
Comments and Context
“The Spirit of ’76” (sometimes called “Yankee Doodle”) is a painting by Archibald MacNeal Willard (1836-1918), an Ohio artist who produced few other works of fame or distinction in his career.
The iconic original painting was exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It attracted only mild attention there, but an increasing notice by end of the fair; and its fame grew through subsequent years. It hangs today in Abbot Hall, a museum in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
It might be better known by its parodies then its original version. Udo J. Keppler was happy to base his “portrait” of Theodore Roosevelt on Willard’s familiar image.
The Puck cover is a familiar, much-reproduced cartoon in the Roosevelt canon. Without its caption it seems an unalloyed tribute to the president’s ubiquity in the hearts of his countrymen. A reading of the (seldom reproduced) caption, however — “The Spirit of ’08” — reveals possible cynicism or sarcasm. Keppler either suggested that Roosevelt’s policies would dominate the coming presidential election, or that he would continue his desire to be (in the words of his daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth) the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral, and the baby at every christening.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1907-05-17
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:
“Teddy doodle”. [May 17, 1907]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285747. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. “Teddy doodle”. [17 May. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285747.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1907, May 17]. “Teddy doodle”.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285747.
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.
