The same old model
Subject(s): Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925, Ethics, Popularity, Presidents--Election, Sailboats, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)
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William Jennings Bryan shows a model sailboat labeled “Personal Popularity” to Uncle Sam. Hanging on the wall in the background is a keel labeled “Principle” and identified as the “Taft Model.” Caption: Uncle Sam — Your sail’s all right, son; but where’s your keel?
Comments and Context
“The Same Old Model” might have been the most pro-Bryan cartoon Puck Magazine ran. Cartoonist L. M. Glackens actually conceded that William Jennings Bryan, the presidential candidate in 1908 (after two failed Democratic campaigns for the office) had personal popularity.
In fact, Brayan’s failed campaigns were by crushing margins in the Electoral College. In popular votes he reliably garnered just under fifty per cent of the nation’s ballots. His personal appeal was great, even if the electorate — many from influential and wealthier northern and eastern states — was wary of his reforms.
The establishment press routinely treated his political proposals as anathema to the civic and economic well-being of the nation. But America had more opinion sources than the establishment press, and more citizens than in northern and eastern urban centers. Bryan could appeal to extremists, but also had a following among laborers and Christian fundamentalists.
Glackens acknowledges that personal appeal, but he and Puck, editorially, will not concede that his principles — personal and political — are substantial enough to keep his candidacy afloat. Moreover — affirming Puck‘s assessment — it criticizes not in a vacuum, but in clear comparison to opponent William H. Taft’s principles. It was gratuitous nod by the traditionally Democratic journal.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1908-09-02
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 same old model. [September 2, 1908]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287234. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Glackens, L. M. (Louis M.), 1866-1933. The same old model. [2 Sep. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287234.
APA:
Glackens, L. M. (Louis M.), 1866-1933., [1908, September 2]. The same old model.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287234.
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 12, 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.
