Dragon meat
Subject(s): Corruption, Dragons, Knights and knighthood, Legislators, Patronage, Political
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A knight labeled “The New Congressman” stands on rocks high in the mountains at the base of a cliff that is protected by a sleeping dragon labeled “Special Privilege.” At the top of the cliff is the U.S. Capitol building.
Comments and Context
Welcome to Washington: Udo J. Keppler depicts the challenges that face newly elected senators and representatives; not merely the long climb of steps to the Capitol.
An earlier generation of reformers and political cartoonists had decried political “bosses”; then trust magnates; President Roosevelt described the unholy alliance of politicians and crooked moguls as “malefactors of great wealth.”
At the time of Keppler’s cartoon the prevailing term for the same cabal, generally, and one of shape-shifting elusiveness, was “Special Privilege” — surely a problem, and a target of discontent, to this day.
What lends the cartoon import are several aspects: the dress, armor and shield, but relative insignificance in size of the New Congressman. The dragon, even in middle-distance, is a great threat to his passage. Keppler’s depiction of the Capitol dome in the clouds indicates both its lofty status, abstractly anyway, and its challenging accessibility.
Finally there is the manner in which Keppler handled the inclining approach to the dragon. Not Capitol steps, not even ruins of same; but reminiscent of crumbling steps of an ancient temple or pagan ziggurat — decadence.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1908-11-11
Creator(s)
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
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:
Dragon meat. [November 11, 1908]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289121. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. Dragon meat. [11 Nov. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. May 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289121.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1908, November 11]. Dragon meat.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289121.
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. May 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.
