Just what he wanted!
Subject(s): Africa, Christmas trees, Columbia (Symbolic character), Firearms, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Target practice, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character), United States. Congress
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President Roosevelt points one dart gun at toy “jungle animals from Africa” and another gun at “Congress.” Uncle Sam and Miss Columbia look on standing beside the Christmas tree. “Congress” says to Roosevelt, “Hey, look out where ye’r pointin’ that!”
Comments and Context
Jay N. “Ding” Darling, in his half-century as a political cartoonist, was known as a progressive, an advocate of conservation (he designed “duck stamps” for federal revenue and program funding in the 1930s; and two wildlife areas are named in his honor), and a partisan who frequently defended his friend Theodore Roosevelt.
Even in those friendly cartoons, he could tweak Roosevelt — he was also known for his native humor — as in this cartoon. On a Christmas morning theme, he celebrated with Roosevelt the visceral joy and anticipation of retirement and the thrill of the planned African safari. For extra fun, Ding worked in a reference to the dispute then raging between the White House and Congress, its ugliness growing from a simple presidential request to increase the scope and funding of the Secret Service.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-12-26
Creator(s)
Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962
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:
Just what he wanted!. [December 26, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301998. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962. Just what he wanted!. [26 Dec. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301998.
APA:
Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962., [1908, December 26]. Just what he wanted!.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301998.
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.
