“How the diabolo can I keep this going till nomination day?”
Subject(s): Juggling, Presidents--Election, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Toys
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Theodore Roosevelt, perspiring profusely, tries to keep a spinning William H. Taft labeled “Taft Boom” aloft with a “Diabolo,” by catching him on a string strung between two sticks and tossing him up again.
Comments and Context
Humor, hilarity, and ridicule can supplement and reinforce a stark political observation; they can meet, and work well, in a good cartoon. And in this cartoon by Udo J. Keppler the juggling or circus toy derived from the Chinese yo-yo, called a “diabolo,” is the flimsy device by which an exhausted Theodore Roosevelt keeps the corpulent William H. Taft spinning in the air. And he must do so into the middle of 1908.
President Roosevelt had renounced a third consecutive term on election night, 1904. To best further his policies — or so he reckoned — and to forestall intra-party squabbling and delegate fights, Roosevelt publicly named and supported Secretary of War Taft as his successor.
As Keppler’s clever cartoon portrays the situation, Taft inspired no public groundswell, and was a desultory speaker and candidate.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1907-12-11
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:
“How the diabolo can I keep this going till nomination day?”. [December 11, 1907]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285981. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. “How the diabolo can I keep this going till nomination day?”. [11 Dec. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285981.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1907, December 11]. “How the diabolo can I keep this going till nomination day?”.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285981.
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.
