William Jennings Bryan, as a pirate on a ship labeled “Popocracy,” stands on a barrel, playing a violin, attempting to lure a nearby ship labeled “National Prosperity” close enough so that his band of pirates can board it. Among those pirates identified are “Tillman, Altgeld, Lease, St. John, Sewall, Watson, Peffer, Sulzer, Waite, Debs, Bland, Wm. Stewart, Hill, Blackburn, [and] Coxey.” The men are armed with guns, knives, and rifles. Blackburn has a patch labeled “1895” over his right eye. Caption: Trying to lure a rich prize, in good old buccaneer fashion.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-09-23

Creator(s)

Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929

Language

English

Period

NYC Police Commissioner (May 1895-March 1897)

Repository

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Page Count

1

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Cartoon

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:

Political pirates. [September 23, 1896]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o288607. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929. Political pirates. [23 Sep. 1896]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o288607.

APA:

Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929., [1896, September 23]. Political pirates.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o288607.

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 22, 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.