Alone I didn’t do it
Subject(s): Horsemanship, Presidents--Election, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930
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President Roosevelt rides a horse that jumps over a “presidential election” fence. President-elect William H. Taft holds onto his boot. Caption: Mr. Taft (Breathless but Triumphant)–“Thank you, Teddy!”
Comments and Context
One of the most famous, or most reprinted, of memorable cartoons about Theodore Roosevelt did not first appear in an American publication but in the venerable British journal of cartoons, humor, and commentary, Punch. The artist was Bernard Partridge, whose roots were on the stage but inherited the mantle of legendary cartoonist Sir John Tenniel (also remembered as the illustrator of Lewis Carroll’s Alice books).
Sir Bernard’s cartoons, realistic, clever, and theatrical, were weekly fixtures into the days of World War II, Churchill, and Hitler.
This typical masterpiece, widely reprinted at the time and in many subsequent history books, accurately (with cartoonists’ license, of course) depicts the basic truth of the 1908 campaign. Theodore Roosevelt had chosen his old friend and Secretary of War William H. Taft to succeed him, persuaded him to run, and continually peppered him with advice and campaign strategies. Taft did triumph in the November elections.
What might have been guessed by friends, associates, and cartoonists is that Taft might become an unworthy lieutenant; or too independent of “My Policies” of Roosevelt; or, as one cynic observed a few years later, “an amiable island surrounded by men who know what they want.”
Among several slights and broken promises made to Roosevelt (who had asked few favors, mainly the retention of a few dedicated public servants who financially depended on their jobs) was the astonishing statement that his half-brother Charley “was responsible, more than any other man, for my becoming president.” It wounded Roosevelt, and would have surprised Sir Bernard Partridge.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-11-21
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:
Alone I didn’t do it. [November 21, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301923. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Partridge, Bernard, 1861-1945. Alone I didn’t do it. [21 Nov. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301923.
APA:
Partridge, Bernard, 1861-1945., [1908, November 21]. Alone I didn’t do it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301923.
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 12, 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.
