The rider bigger than his mount
Subject(s): Republican elephant (Symbolic character), Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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A large President Roosevelt sits atop a very small elephant. Caption: Elephant– “I never felt so small before in all my life.”
Comments and Context
Cartoonist Trist Wood’s presentation of the relative positions of President Roosevelt and the Republican Party in 1907 is brilliant in its simplicity.
Between Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt there were only two Democratic presidents; during Theodore Roosevelt’s administrations the Republican Party controlled both houses of Congress; and despite similar statistics, Theodore Roosevelt the individual seemed by all measures more popular than the party itself, or at least in terms of public affection and expressions of support (this age predated polls).
Depicting Roosevelt on a saddle was of course a natural device, but to loom over an elephant, more so than a horse, pictured a greater disparity. And the elephant’s expression is none too comfortable!
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-05-06
Creator(s)
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 rider bigger than his mount. [May 6, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301529. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Wood, Trist, 1868-1952. The rider bigger than his mount. [6 May. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301529.
APA:
Wood, Trist, 1868-1952., [1907, May 6]. The rider bigger than his mount.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301529.
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.
