He missed the chair, but he has the floor
Subject(s): Cox, Samuel Sullivan, 1824-1889, Fools and jesters, Lamar, L. Q. C. (Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus), 1825-1893, Legislators, Thurman, Allen Granbery, 1813-1895, United States. Congress
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Samuel S. Cox, as a court jester, is booted off a podium by a man sitting in the “Speaker’s Chair” in a congressional chamber, and is about to land on the floor. Cox is holding a stick with balloons attached labeled “Jokes, Witticisms, [and] Sarcasm,” and a book “by S. S. Cox” titled “Why We Laugh” (possibly the new and enlarged 1880 edition of his book first published in 1876) drops to the floor next to him. In the upper right, looking on approvingly, are members of Congress, Allen G. Thurman and Lucius Q. C. Lamar among them.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1883-12-05
Creator(s)
Period
New York State Assemblyman (1882-May 1884)
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:
He missed the chair, but he has the floor. [December 5, 1883]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287849. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896. He missed the chair, but he has the floor. [5 Dec. 1883]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287849.
APA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896., [1883, December 5]. He missed the chair, but he has the floor.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287849.
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. January 15, 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.
