Nothing left but a statue
Subject(s): Aldrich, Nelson W. (Nelson Wilmarth), 1841-1915, Cannon, Joseph Gurney, 1836-1926, Dalzell, John, 1845-1927, Legislators, Payne, Sereno Elisha, 1843-1914, Pressure groups, Privileges and immunities, Sherman, J. S. (James Schoolcraft), 1855-1912, Trusts, Industrial
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A troop of soldiers wearing red coats, some labeled “Clothing Trust, Franchise Grabber, Food Trust, [and] Land Trust,” march past Daniel Chester French’s sculpture, “The Minute Man.” Among the soldiers are Nelson W. Aldrich wearing a miter and carrying a flag decorated with an emblem of a crowned hand pointing thumb-down in a squashing gesture, John Dalzell, J. S. Sherman, and Sereno Elisha Payne. Joseph Gurney Cannon is pictured kissing the boot of a fat officer labeled “Privilege” riding on a horse. In the background, more red coats are ransacking “The American Home” and tearing down the American flag.
Comments and Context
Udo J. Keppler’s Fourth of July cartoon was a scathing indictment of the American economy, 1909, and specifically a gallery of politicians and business leaders he portrayed as dismissive of patriots and patriotism.
Various trusts and monopolies are pictured as generic, overblown villains; but the identifiable figures are singled out for special censure — especially the Speaker of the House of Representatives Joseph Gurney Cannon kissing the boot of Special Privilege; and the banner of Nelson W. Aldrich (leader of Senate Republicans) bearing the symbol of a crowned hand pressing its thumb down. In the distance, the American flag — upside-down, a distress signal — is being torn down.
The men are, of course, not mere troublemakers but British redcoats, especially depicted in the magazine’s Fourth of July issue.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1909-06-30
Creator(s)
Period
African Safari (March 1909-1910)
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:
Nothing left but a statue. [June 30, 1909]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289363. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. Nothing left but a statue. [30 Jun. 1909]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. August 3, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289363.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1909, June 30]. Nothing left but a statue.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o289363.
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. August 3, 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.
