The question solved: what to do with our ex-president

President Roosevelt wears a mask and sits at a desk with Secret Service reports. On the wall are “Rogue’s Gallery no. 1–Members of Congress,” a “list of undesirable citizens–Harriman, Rockefeller, Foraker, Haskell, and Tilman,” and a March 1909 calendar. On the other wall is a sign–“Old Sleuth Hawkshaw & Co.: Private Investigations. Shadowing”–and some disguises, including “mollycoddle masks,” “Ananias masks,” “malefactors of great wealth,’ and a coat “for the frivolous judge disguise.” On the ground are “gum shoes” and a “Muck Rake” cat.

comments and context

Comments and Context

As President Roosevelt’s term drew to a close, many Democratic cartoonists who had routinely criticized him continued without abatement. Other partisans seized the opportunity to increase their level of bitterness and ridicule while he was on his way out.

W. A. Rogers of the New York Herald, a consistent critic of Republicans, depicted Roosevelt in ways, and in situations, that he had not drawn during the presidency. This cartoon, a speculation about post-presidential pursuits, already a tired topic among cartoonists, depicts Roosevelt as a virtual confidence man, and his disguises as those of a common detective (“gumshoe”). It is ironic that the putative enemies portrayed by masks and memos on the wall, actually were targets of Rogers and Herald themselves in quieter moments.

One wonders whether Rogers’s unsuccessful attempt to establish a cartoon mascot like the Democratic donkey or Republican elephant — the cat with a rake for a face, the Muckrake pet — disappointed him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-10

Creator(s)

Rogers, W. A. (William Allen), 1854-1931

Language

English

Period

U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)

Page Count

1

Production Method

Printed

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Cartoon

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation