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Postcard showing cows in a valley in between snowcapped mountains. Charles C. Myers notes that this is in the Andes Mountains.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “Another scene in the valley of central Chile while enroute to Santiago.”
Charles C. Myers Collection
The front cover of this issue shows Theodore Roosevelt’s home, Sagamore Hill, as it appeared at the time of its completion in 1885. The back cover features a photograph of a newly completed barn on the property in 1907 along with two farm hands and three cows.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1907
August Belmont walks on a farm in Esopus, New York, with a dog. There are cows in the background.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-08-09
Alton B. Parker milks a cow in the background as a number of men look at papers: David B. Hill, Grover Cleveland, a Tammany tiger, Arthur P. Gorman, Richard Olney, John E. Parsons, and August Belmont.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-08-08
A “3rd term” cow runs to William H. Taft to reach for food labeled “presidency” that Taft holds as President Roosevelt rushes out of the White House toward both of them. Several others, including Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks climb a fence and tree to escape the cow.
Unlike most other cartoonists, Jay N. “Ding” Darling always accepted President Roosevelt’s sincerity in declining to seek, campaign for, or accept another presidential nomination in 1908. Rather than limiting the cartoonist’s options on the topic, it left him free to depict Roosevelt’s frustrations, and allegorize the president’s dilemma in the face of public and party pressures that he break his word and run again. This cartoon is a unique and clever presentation of the situation.
William H. Taft (Roosevelt’s clear choice as a successor) is depicted as a scared little boy. Indeed Taft was a reluctant and inept candidate, properly pictured except perhaps for the “little” aspect. His cookie or pie is threatened by an angry-looking cow that his broken loose — and the third Roosevelt term that she represents is so formidable as to scatter the other aspirants for the presidential nomination. Of the two who can be identified are Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks, up a tree; and Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon, climbing over the fence.
President Roosevelt watches as a cow labeled “the public” tries to reach the “third term” haystack but is unable to do so because “Roosevelt’s no third term declaration” fence stands in front of it. In the background is a “Taft boom” haystack. The subtitle asks, “Will the farmer remove the fence?”
Cartoonist Claude Maybell of the Brooklyn Eagle, once a major newspaper in New York City, accurately depicted the political situation in the Republican Party as the 1908 presidential contest loomed.
President McKinley as a dairy farmer milks a cow labeled “Patronage,” and many hands hold out containers, most labeled “From Ohio,” for a share of the milk. Mark Hanna was a senator from Ohio who had considerable influence with the President. Caption: How can McKinley satisfy Ohio, and still have a little patronage milk left for other patriots of the country?
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1897-01-20
A disgruntled Uncle Sam, as a dairy farmer, stands on the right, holding a bucket labeled “U.S. Treasury” and a stool, on his way to milk a cow. At center is a cow labeled “Commonwealth” and a fat calf labeled “Infant Industries” that is helping itself to the cow’s milk.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1897-06-23
Uncle Sam sits on a split-rail fence labeled “Trust Control of Congress” enclosing a barren patch of land and an emaciated cow labeled “U.S. Post Office Dept.” Outside the fence are some fat cows labeled “Express Company” that are grazing on rich grasses labeled “Parcel Carrying Profits” showing paper money and dollar signs. Caption: Uncle Sam–It’s high time that fence came down!
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1910-12-14
President Taft, wearing a large hat, offers a corn stalk labeled “Excuse, Apology, Explanation, Defense, [and] Persuasion” to a cow labeled “The West” and with a bell labeled “Insurgency” around its neck. The cow is not interested in Taft’s excuses or explanations.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1911-10-11
A photograph of an unidentified painting by Theodore Rousseau which accompanied an article discussing the show and sale of paintings owned by Theron R. Butler, great-grandfather of Eleanor Butler Roosevelt. Part of the article is pasted under the picture.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1910-01
Reproduced historical photograph of a cowboy branding a cow owned by the Marquis de Morès in a cattle pen at Beef Corral Bottom, originally taken in the 1880s.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Unknown
Theodore P. Shonts milks a cow labeled “Canal Commission” that is feeding on a mixture of hay and money labeled “Appropriation.” Shonts has a bucket labeled “Progress” between his knees. Secretary of State William H. Taft stands in the background holding a pitchfork. Up a hill on the right is an outbuilding labeled “U.S. Treasury” full of hay.
J. S. Pughe’s cover cartoon in Puck is a virtual lesson in cartoon iconography — hay-barn, fodder, milk, funds. The actual context is the figures and the dialog-caption, addressing a rather continuing challenge in the construction of the Panama Canal, centered in the Culebra Cut.
That portion of the canal’s path, involving earth-moving and problems that ranged from labor problems to additional financial requirements, was a major construction challenge and a matter of much discussion between the Canal Zone (Theodore P. Shonts, Chair of the Panama Canal Commission; and Chief Engineer John F. Stevens) and Washington (President Roosevelt and his point-man, Secretary of War, William H. Taft). Of the many issues were Stevens’s recommendation of Chinese and Spanish laborers, deemed more reliable than West Indians.
Thomas Taggart, Democratic National Committee Chairman, on the left, and George B. Cortelyou, Republican National Committee chairman, on the right, milk a cow into buckets labeled “Dem. Campaign Fund” and “Rep. Campaign Fund.” A bell labeled “Wall Street” hangs from a ribbon labeled “Trust Interests” around the cow’s neck.
Cartoonist Keppler’s caricatures of Tom Taggart and George B. Cortelyou generally reflected their gifts used in 1904 as chairmen of their national political parties.
Taggart, Irish-born, was a politician rarely in elected positions (e.g., mayor of Indianapolis, and a brief stint in the United States Senate) but enormously effective as a functionary. In his Republican Indiana he managed campaigns that bucked the tide of Republicans in important elections; and he successfully advanced the political careers of others, including Thomas Riley Marshall (to be Woodrow Wilson’s vice president) and James M. Cox as Democrat presidential candidate in 1920.
President Roosevelt thanks the Roots for the memories and relates that Kermit remembered driving cows with their children.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-09-11
W. I. Walker of Novelty Manufacturing Company is having difficulties with the land he has leased from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. According to Walker, there is no syndicate of cattle men as George Kennan argued in an article in The Outlook. He argues that the Standing Rock land is less beneficial than the Cheyenne territory, and when this is taken into account, the land cost was essentially the same. He argues that the Indians are fine with the agreement and that the taking of Indian cattle by white men will be less likely with the fence that he will put up. Walker argues that his money has been held up by the government.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-19
Theodore Roosevelt sends his son Ted a picture letter about animals living together on a farm in Texas.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1889