New diversion at Sagamore Hill
Subject(s): Harriman, Edward Henry, 1848-1909, Insects, Presidents--Term of office, Railroads and state, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)
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President Roosevelt holds a net and chases the “Harriman bug” that looks like a locomotive. On Roosevelt’s shoulder is the “presidential bug” and in the “specimen case” across his shoulder is the “oil bug,” “powder bug,” “tobacco bug,” “securities bug,” and “marine bug.” In the background is a building with the label, “hay all stored,” and a group of people cheering him on — “other varieties of bugs.”
Comments and Context
Sometimes cartoonists employ icons for clarity’s sake, or to be a “crutch” to convey a point; and sometimes a cartoonist will load a drawing with numerous signs, symbols, and icons out of desperation. Such, it appears, was the motivation of Joseph Harry Cunningham.
Roosevelt was indeed on vacation at Sagamore Hill. “Hay all stored” presumably pointed to the imminent end of the getaway, although Roosevelt’s vacation did last until September 15. His controversy with railroad baron Edward Henry Harriman had cooled somewhat (and would be subsumed very soon by the Wall Street Panic), but a railroad engine for a bee’s body was amusing. The “other varieties of bugs,” holding papers labeled “ideas,” possibly meant priorities the president might better have pursued. His catch-box defers to the Roosevelt’s successful forays against other trusts; and a little John D. Rockefeller sticks his battered head out.
In a final but curious use of an icon, President Roosevelt’s shadow is that of Uncle Sam.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-08-10
Creator(s)
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946
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:
New diversion at Sagamore Hill. [August 10, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301574. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946. New diversion at Sagamore Hill. [10 Aug. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301574.
APA:
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946., [1907, August 10]. New diversion at Sagamore Hill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301574.
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.
