The “strenuous life” has its drawbacks! : or, Teddy: This reminds me of San Juan Hill!
Subject(s): Altgeld, John Peter, 1847-1902, Bacon, Alexander S. (Alexander Samuel), 1853-1920, Cuba--Santiago de Cuba, Opposition (Political science), Political oratory, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, San Juan Hill, Battle of (Cuba : 1898), War, Wars
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Governor Roosevelt is in the midst of a violent altercation. Dressed in his trademark Rough Riders uniform, a book narrating his Cuban adventures is strapped around his chest and a bandage labeled “Iron” is on his cheek. As Roosevelt shoots at a fleeing man and at a rabbit disappearing down a hole, he is thrown off his balance by an exploding bomb called “Altgeld’s reply to the St. Paul speech,” and is hit with a brick labeled “From Colonel Bacon.” Off to the side, Governor John Peter Altgeld prepares to throw another bomb.
Comments and Context
At the moment there is little known about the creator of this original cartoon. It is decidedly denigrating to Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, and deals with a controversy that arose in 1900. Roosevelt was Governor of New York and as such reviewed court-martial charges against soldiers in the Seventy-First regiment, New York Volunteers, at the Battle of San Juan Hill. Alexander S. Bacon, a National Guard colonel who had not served in Cuba, was retained as their counsel. In the course of a public-relations campaign he leveled charges about Roosevelt’s actions on the field, imputing cowardice. Bacon wrote a book, The Seventy-First at San Juan, that strongly disputed Roosevelt’s claims, such as encountering a trench filled with Spaniards. All the soldiers ultimately lost their court-martial appeals. Roosevelt was Governor of New York when this cartoon was drawn, but is in Rough Rider garb because of the wartime controversy. The radical and anti-Imperialist Governor of Illinois, John Peter Altgeld, is depicted favorably. Roosevelt’s best-selling book The Rough Riders here has the title Alone in Cuba, as famously parodied by humorist Finley Peter Dunne (“Mr. Dooley”).
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1900
Creator(s)
Crichton, A.T. (Arthur T.), approximately 1863-1937
Language
English
Period
Governor of New York (October 1898-1900)
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. See the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library Terms of Use for further copyright information.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The “strenuous life” has its drawbacks! : or, Teddy: This reminds me of San Juan Hill!. [1900]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291084. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Crichton, A.T. (Arthur T.), approximately 1863-1937. The “strenuous life” has its drawbacks! : or, Teddy: This reminds me of San Juan Hill!. [1900]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. April 2, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291084.
APA:
Crichton, A.T. (Arthur T.), approximately 1863-1937., [1900]. The “strenuous life” has its drawbacks! : or, Teddy: This reminds me of San Juan Hill!.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291084.
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. April 2, 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.
