Circus performers

New York City mayor Seth Low, as a lion tamer holding a whip, stands next to the Tammany Tiger which is bound in ribbons labeled “Civic Honesty, Fusion, Decent Government, Municipal Reforms, [and] Local Improvements.” Standing in the background is Charles F. Murphy, Tammany Hall boss, holding a large pair of scissors labeled “Election 1903.” Later in the year, Low would lose the election for mayor to George B. McClellan Jr.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Seth Low was identified with reform and efficient administration his whole career, as mayor of Brooklyn, mayor New York City (Brooklyn and the City merged in 1897 as “Greater New York”), and as president of Columbia University. His political activities were allied with the Republican Party and various reform groups like the Fusion Party and the Citizens Union.

J. Pierpont Morgan, as a strong man at a circus, attempts to inflate a balloon labeled “Steel Stock” with a pump labeled “Enormous Earnings.” In the background is a crowd of people, some holding papers labeled “Steel Stock.” Caption: A strong man, a strong pump; but no sigh of a rise.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Sometimes the stock manipulation and monopolist’s control of values backfired. The machinations of J. P. Morgan after his acquisition of smaller steel companies if he might have failed to acquire United States Steel from Andrew Carnegie, and then his top-heavy position in the steel market after Carnegie did sell to Morgan, was the subject of editorial and political commentary at the time that he over-extended his resources. If so, Morgan’s challenges soon were overcome, and not as serious as Pughe’s cartoon suggests.

Vignettes depict transcontinental journeys by various modes of transportation. Circus performers tumble and roll their way across the country, a street railroad car from New York City arrives at the Rocky Mountains, a child travels in a pedal car with his nurse following by rail, a man golfs his way from coast to coast, members of a country club drink their way from roadhouse to roadhouse, waiters carry a tray of food from the mayor of New York City to the mayor of Seattle, an African American vaudeville couple dances across the continent, and two tramps hitch a ride on a railroad.

comments and context

Comments and Context

S. D. Ehrhart’s theme-and-variation cartoon vignettes is a seeming fantasy — logical extensions of the idea of cross-country marathons. It deals with humorous exaggeration, but scarcely is fantasy; it was based in fact.

David B. Hill as the animal trainer Carl “Hagenbeck” performs a circus act with trained animals labeled “Murphy, Pugh, Chandler, Peffer, Morgan, Coke, Higgins, Stewart, Teller, Cullom, [and] Hoar.” Hill is standing at center with a bag of “Peanut Politics” at his feet. He holds a whip in his right hand and a string in his left, which is attached to a ring in the nose of “Murphy” as a dancing bear. “Pugh” as a monkey sits on the floor. The other animals are standing on short pedestals arranged around the rear of the cage.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1894-02-07

A ringmaster labeled “Harrity Chairman Dem. Natl. Com.” stands on the left, offering an opportunity to ride the Democratic Donkey which wears a saddle labeled “1896” and “$50,000 a year for the man who can ride on this donkey to the White House.” Several reluctant man observe from the grandstands. They are identified as “Stevenson, Hill, Pattison, Olney, Matthews, [and] Campbell”, and William R. Morrison. In the background, riding on the Republican Elephant labeled “1896” are “McKinley, Morton, Reed, Allison, [and] Quay.” McKinley holds a pennant labeled “Protection.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-04-15

A circus performance is going on under the big top with Uncle Sam as ringmaster for a show with a bucking mule labeled “Tariff Question.” The mule has already thrown one man labeled “Democrat” and is tossing another man labeled “Republican.” In response to Uncle Sam’s question “Who can ride the mule?”, Puck’s Independent New Party figure climbs over the barrier into the ring. On the right, two clowns labeled “W. Reid” and “H. Watterson” glower at each other.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1883-05-02

Print shows William McKinley as a circus ringmaster trying to coax a defiant Emilio Aguinaldo to jump through a hoop labeled “Peace”; standing in the background are three figures labeled “Cuba, Porto Rico, [and] Hawaii”.
Caption: Ringmaster McKinley–You’ve got to jump through, and the sooner you do it the better!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1899-09-20