Why not do both?
Subject(s): Circus, Horsemanship, Periodicals, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Stunt performers
Click on image to zoom in
President Roosevelt rides a horse with a knife between his teeth and types on a typewriter. There are papers flying around him: “Liars I have known–$1.00 per word,” “Big game I have killed–$1.00 per word,” “Wild animals and fakes–$1.00 per word,” and “I, as a lion killer–$1.00 per word.” Caption: NOTE–A circus man has offered Theodore Roosevelt $10,000 per word to do stunts in the ring. Mr. Roosevelt also gets $1.00 per word for stories. He could write 10,000 words a week too.
Comments and Context
Throughout the 1908 presidential campaign, James Calvert Smith reliably led the pack or followed the pack of extreme partisan, or anti-Roosevelt, political cartoonists. The pattern continued as Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency wound down. Many cartoonists, even those who traditionally opposed the president, drew good-natured cartoons speculating on the African safari, Roosevelt’s choice of “retirement” pursuits (he was only 50 years old), and so forth.
Calvert (as he simply signed his drawings when he left political cartooning to draw for humor magazines) continued to discover edges and denigrations and sarcastic opportunities for attacks on Roosevelt. As the cartoon speculates, Roosevelt did indeed earn his post-presidential livelihood chiefly as a writer and an editor.
And there were reports that, among a plethora of offers, Roosevelt had the opportunity to be a star of a wild west show as Buffalo Bill had been in America and Europe. True or not, it was great fodder for cartoonists.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1909-02-05
Creator(s)
Smith, James Calvert, 1878-1962
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:
Why not do both?. [February 5, 1909]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302091. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Smith, James Calvert, 1878-1962. Why not do both?. [5 Feb. 1909]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. May 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302091.
APA:
Smith, James Calvert, 1878-1962., [1909, February 5]. Why not do both?.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302091.
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. May 15, 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.
