The sower
Subject(s): Farmers, Nobel Prizes, Peace
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President Roosevelt, dressed like a farmer, sows seeds from a bag labeled “$40,000 Peace Prize” with a bird “Peace” on his head. In the background is a fence labeled “American Industry.”
Comments and Context
The background this cartoon is the recent announcement by President Roosevelt that he would assign the monetary award from his Nobel Peace Prize committee to “social and industrial” justice. The intention was sufficiently vague that the funds only gathered interest for a dozen years, never connected to a foundation or specific project (many charitable groups during America’s participation in the Great War ultimately received the apportioned funds).
Cartoonist J. H. Donahey was one of the Midwest’s great cartoonists between the late 1890s and the late 1940s. His political (Democrat) and social cartoons (small-town American themes) were among the finest ever drawn in America. His style was distinctive and affected many other subsequent artists; and his clever concepts never flagged.
Donahey’s brother William drew the long-running (1914 to 1970) children’s newspaper cartoon The Teenie Weenies. Another brother, Vic, served as Democratic governor of Ohio.
Did Roosevelt notice cartoons? Did he keep tabs on public opinion and editorial views from around the nation? Was he a fan of editorial and political cartoons? There are reports that his wife Edith kept scrapbooks of cartoons to amuse herself… and to keep her husband humble when needed. And rumors that the White House also digested cartoons and kept scrapbooks, are confirmed by the mailing-label on this cartoon, clipped for an old an scrapbook: Roosevelt, Theo. / President.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-12-12
Creator(s)
Donahey, J. H. (James Harrison), 1875-1949
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Page Count
1
Production Method
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:
The sower. [December 12, 1906]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301359. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Donahey, J. H. (James Harrison), 1875-1949. The sower. [12 Dec. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301359.
APA:
Donahey, J. H. (James Harrison), 1875-1949., [1906, December 12]. The sower.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301359.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
