The pirate publisher – an international burlesque that has has the longest run on record
Subject(s): Authors, American, Authors, English, Authors, French, Authors, German, Copyright infringement, Copyright, International, Jack-in-the-box, Publishers and publishing
Click on image to zoom in
A man, identified as the “Pirate Publisher,” stands at center with one foot on a large book labeled “Law.” He is wearing 17th century court dress, a large hat with four plumes labeled “American, French, German, [and] English,” and a long cape that appears to be made from the title pages of pirated works of literature; and he is carrying two moneybags. Authors from “America, Germany, France, [and] England” form a half-circle behind him, including “Mark Twain, C. D. Warner, G. W. Cable, E. C. Stedman, F. Brete Hart [i.e., Bret Harte], J. Hay, O. W. Holmes, F. R. Stockton, J. G. Whittier, T. B. Aldrich, W. D. Howells, J. R. Lowell, Heyse, Ebers, Scheffel, Zola, Sardou, A. Daudet, Jules Verne, Gilbert, Browning, Burnard, Hughes, Tennyson, [and] W. Collins.” Some hold papers labeled “James Payn, Louis Carroll, Thomas Hardy, [and] R. L. Stevenson.” They are accusing the man of illegally publishing their work without compensating them, while the man maintains that he has a legal right to publish their books. There is a jack-in-the-box labeled “The Hugh Conway Posthumous Producer.” The jack holds a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. Includes choruses “of British Authors…French Victims…German and other Sufferers, [and] Humble American Authors.”
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1886-02-24
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:
The pirate publisher – an international burlesque that has has the longest run on record. [February 24, 1886]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o288009. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894. The pirate publisher – an international burlesque that has has the longest run on record. [24 Feb. 1886]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o288009.
APA:
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894., [1886, February 24]. The pirate publisher – an international burlesque that has has the longest run on record.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o288009.
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.
