A day with a nervous congressman
Subject(s): Demonology, Espionage, Fear, Hanna, Marcus Alonzo, 1837-1904, Legislators, Police, Police--Legal status, laws, etc., Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Click on image to zoom in
Vignettes show a “nervous congressman” suspecting everyone he meets to be a spy investigating him. Everyone he sees (a female companion, a “waiter,” “his constituents,” a “friend,” and a woman pushing an infant in a stroller) is carrying handguns and handcuffs, and he refuses the return of a loan for fear that it is “marked money.” A picture of Marcus Alonzo Hanna hangs on the wall of his congressional office. At night a demon that looks like Theodore Roosevelt torments his sleep.
Comments and Context
The United States Secret Service, created by detective Allen Pinkerton during the Civil War, initially was formed with the charge to protect the president. Its role expanded to investigate land frauds and track counterfeit money, and other random duties.
In 1909 it was a topic in public discourse because, funded by taxpayers, its duties expanded further to protect the president-elect for the first time. This cartoon was drawn while William H. Taft prepared to assume the presidency in March of 1909.
Cartoonist S. D. Ehrhart therefore devoted his periodic page of cartoon vignettes-on-a-theme to the topic of the day, police protection and secret guardians.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1909-02-10
Creator(s)
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937
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:
A day with a nervous congressman. [February 10, 1909]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291089. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937. A day with a nervous congressman. [10 Feb. 1909]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291089.
APA:
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937., [1909, February 10]. A day with a nervous congressman.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291089.
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. March 12, 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.
