Down in old Virginia
Subject(s): Hammocks, Republican elephant (Symbolic character), Rest, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Click on image to zoom in
President Roosevelt and the Republican elephant sit relaxed in hammocks with Roosevelt reading a quotation from Plutarch: “Rest is the sweet sauce of labor.”
Comments and Context
The Washington Herald‘s Jack H. Smith employed a graphic meme that was an easy fallback for some political cartoonists, or an occasional specialty of some editorial cartoonists: illustrating a headline or general state of affairs rather than advocating a point of view or persuading readers through attacks or encomia.
In this case, courtesy of a mechanically achieved photographic likeness of a smiling President Roosevelt, Smith noted that the president enjoyed a late Spring respite at his retreat in Pine Knot, Virginia. According to White House datebooks, the Roosevelts were in their rural, no-frills cabin between May 17 and May 22, 1907.
The site was remarkable for any president, especially of patrician background, and certainly in years since: a simple log structure with few amenities, in a remote glade. The president typically made breakfast for himself and his wife, Edith, attempted to dismiss Secret Service personnel, and rested largely by reading (perhaps dozens of books) rather than hunting or poring over documents.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-05-21
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:
Down in old Virginia. [May 21, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301537. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Smith, Jack H., -1935. Down in old Virginia. [21 May. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301537.
APA:
Smith, Jack H., -1935., [1907, May 21]. Down in old Virginia.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301537.
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. March 5, 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.
