The Presidential recruiting-office
Subject(s): Arthur, Chester Alan, 1829-1886, Bayard, Thomas F. (Thomas Francis), 1828-1898, Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893, Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893, Carlisle, John Griffin, 1835-1910, Dana, Charles A. (Charles Anderson), 1819-1897, Davis, David, 1815-1886, Edmunds, George F. (George Franklin), 1828-1919, Evarts, William Maxwell, 1818-1901, Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885, Hewitt, Abram S. (Abram Stevens), 1822-1903, Kelly, John, 1821-1886, Lincoln, Robert Todd, 1843-1926, Logan, John Alexander, 1826-1886, Mahone, William, 1826-1895, Men--Medical examinations, Morrison, William R. (William Ralls), 1825-1909, Payne, Sereno Elisha, 1843-1914, Platt, Thomas Collier, 1833-1910, Presidents--Elections, Randall, Samuel J. (Samuel Jackson), 1828-1890, Recruiting and enlistment, Sherman, John, 1823-1900, Tilden, Samuel J. (Samuel Jones), 1814-1886, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)
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In the interior of a recruiting office for the presidency, Uncle Sam and Puck examine potential recruits against a height chart labeled, from low to high, “Notoriety, Popularity, Capability, Honesty, [and at the top] Statesmanship.” A number of men, in various states of undress, have been rejected for a variety of reasons: “Evarts Too Long-Winded, [U.S. Grant] Retired, [Conkling] Too Pigeon-Breasted, [Thomas Collier Platt] Me Too Little, Mahone Must be Readjusted, J. B. Rejected Too Crooked, Dana Rejected – Too Shortsighted, [Logan] Grammar Feeble, [Arthur] Rejected No Backbone, [Davis] Short Winded, Sherman Bloody Shirt Mania, [Kelly] Pig-Headed, Payne Oil on the Brain, Randall Protection Madness, Bayard Unstable, [Tilden] Rejected Cipher Catarrh, [and] B[utler] Can’t See Straight.” Five tall men, “Admitted to the Competition,” stand on the right: “Hewitt, Carlisle, Morrison, Lincoln [and] Edmunds O. K.”
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1884-04-30
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:
The Presidential recruiting-office. [April 30, 1884]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287928. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896. The Presidential recruiting-office. [30 Apr. 1884]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287928.
APA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896., [1884, April 30]. The Presidential recruiting-office.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287928.
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.
