A hard pull
Subject(s): Bands (Music), Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893, Brady, Thomas Jefferson, 1839-1904, Clapp, A. M. (Almon M.), Clayton, Powell, 1833-1914, Colfax, Schuyler, 1823-1885, Corruption, Dorsey, Stephen Wallace, 1842-1916, Elkins, Stephen B. (Stephen Benton), 1841-1911, Gould, Jay, 1836-1892, Keifer, Joseph Warren, 1836-1932, Phelps, William Walter, 1839-1894, Presidents--Elections, Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912, Robeson, George M. (George Maxwell), 1829-1897, Scandals, Wagons
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James Gillespie Blaine is dressed as a knight, with the plumes of his helmet labeled “Dodger, Speakership Record, [and] Mulligan Letters.” He holds papers labeled “Aggressive Cash Campaign” and has his other hand in a bag of money labeled “Vote Persuader.” He is riding in a wagon labeled “J. G. Blaine, Unlicensed Vendor, Stocks, Political Influence, etc.,” the seat of which is labeled “Compressed Magnetism.” William Walter Phelps is riding on the back of the wagon, sitting on boxes of “Condensed Fireworks” and “Campaign Lies, Scandals.” He is holding a portrait painting of George Washington labeled “J. G. Blaine.” At the front of the wagon, “Dorsey, Brady, [Robeson, and] Keifer” are pulling, and at the back “Gould, Clapp, [and] Clayton” are pushing. Whitelaw Reid marches alongside as a one-man band playing a horn labeled “Brag,” a drum labeled “Bluster,” an organ labeled “Blaine Organ,” a bellows labeled “Campaign Wind,” and firing a cannon labeled “Blaine Orgun.” Stephen B. Elkins, in the background on the left, waves a whip that spells “Enthusiasm,” and former Vice President Schuyler Colfax, with a “Credit Mobilier” plume in his cap, carries the standard that states, “Westward The Star of Corruption Fakes its Way.” They are passing a sign that states “To Ohio.”
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1884-10-01
Creator(s)
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894
Period
Dakota Rancher (June 1884-1886)
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:
A hard pull. [October 1, 1884]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287719. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894. A hard pull. [1 Oct. 1884]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 11, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287719.
APA:
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894., [1884, October 1]. A hard pull.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287719.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
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. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 11, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
