The haunted house
Subject(s): Business enterprises--Finance, Capitalists and financiers, Corruption, Fear, Ghosts, New York (State)--New York--Wall Street
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In a boardroom, the appearance of a ghost labeled “Spirit of Honesty” has frightened the men conducting business, labeled “Corporation Lawyer, Fake Promoter, Secret Rebater [hiding under the table], Lobbyist, Public Service Grafter, Public Exploiter, Hypocrite, Employed Perjurer, Speculating Trust Co, [and the] Yellow Dog Keeper.” Also shown are the “Yellow Dog” and several sheets of “Watered Stock.” Hanging on the wall is a sign that states “Dont Knock – Boost.”
Comments and Context
Despite the skin-of-their-teeth machinations of J. P. Morgan and ultimately President Roosevelt that kept the 1907 Wall Street Panic from becoming a major national economic depression, the public at large generally was not relieved to know that Wall Street righted itself.
Rather, the Panic seemed to confirm what had been growing in the public’s mind for some time, especially during the recent years of Muckraking scandals and exposes, and frantic legislative and regulatory reforms. Revelations of corruption in business from insurance to railroads, and common-criminal style of behavior on the part of business titans like John D. Rockefeller, cemented the public’s cynicism about Big Business.
Art Young, still new to Puck‘s pages and rapidly evolving into America’s foremost radical cartoonist, drew a tableau of the situation in strictly moral terms. The Spirit of Honesty was a common demand, one never really pressed previously. It confirmed the stated views of Roosevelt, who often sublimated discussions of economic theory and financial data, and dealt with trusts, corporate America, even taxes, in moral contexts.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1907-11-27
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 haunted house. [November 27, 1907]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285925. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Young, Art, 1866-1943. The haunted house. [27 Nov. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285925.
APA:
Young, Art, 1866-1943., [1907, November 27]. The haunted house.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285925.
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.
