“Bill Sikes.”
Subject(s): Bull terrier, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, United States. Congress
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Holding his big stick in his left hand, President Roosevelt points a finger at a bull terrier labeled “Congress.”
Comments and Context
The routinely partisan Democratic Women’s National Daily — at any rate consistently anti-Roosevelt — published this cartoon at the end of the president’s administration. Although Roosevelt is not depicted in a flattering manner, it is more a neutral observation of long-running disputes between the White House and Congress.
Its neutral flavor was assured by the roles of Dickens characters in which cartoonist Camillus Kessler cast the president and Congress. Bill Sikes (as the character’s name was spelled until a Disney cartoon named him Bill Sykes) was a thug in Fagin’s gang in Oliver Twist. He frequently mistreated his bulldog Bull’s Eye, yet the dog remained a loyal companion to the villain.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1909-01-28
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
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:
“Bill Sikes.”. [January 28, 1909]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302081. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Kessler, Camillus. “Bill Sikes.”. [28 Jan. 1909]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. April 16, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302081.
APA:
Kessler, Camillus., [1909, January 28]. “Bill Sikes.”.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302081.
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. April 16, 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.
