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William Jennings Bryan pulls on a saddle strap labeled “[18]96, 1900, 1908” on the Democratic donkey, trying to get it tight enough for the pin to fit into “The Third Hole” labeled “1908.” Caption: Same old cinch, but considerably tighter this time.
Only three weeks before the presidential balloting in 1908, and students will notice several factors displayed in this cartoon by Frank A. Nankivell.
A donkey recklessly drives an automobile labeled “Democratic Party,” bearing down on the Republican elephant labeled “G.O.P.” standing in the middle of the roadway. An arm labeled “Standpatter” reaches out from the left and an arm labeled “Insurgent” reaches out from the right. Each grabs the Republican elephant and pulls it in opposite directions. Caption: Both — Quick! Come this way, dearie!
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1910-08-17
An ark labeled “Democratic Principles” has run aground in the receding waters of the flood near a landscape labeled “Republican Power.” The ark is full of Democrats labeled “Wilson, Parker, Watterson, Shepard, Johnson, Owen, Gray, Havens, Harmon, Tillman, Clark, Mack, Williams, Gore, Folk, [and] Gaynor.” Flying toward the ark is the Democratic donkey as a dove carrying a large tree branch labeled “Democratic Victories, Revolt Against the Tariff, [and] Reduced Republican Majorities.” Caption: It ought to be obvious by this time that the waters are receding.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1910-10-19
A large cut-out of an elephant, labeled “Republican Partisanship,” is propped up by boards labeled “Patronage” and “Party Platform.” A similar cut-out of a donkey, labeled “Democratic Partisanship,” is also propped up by boards labeled “Safe and Sane” and “Party Platform.” Both are also supported by men labeled “Privilege.” Men labeled “Rep Boss” and “Dem Boss” stand next to their respective symbols, pointing to them. Crowds have gathered before each cut-out. In the background is a bright sun labeled “Patriotism” and surrounded with the phrase: “The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1910-07-06
On the left is Theodore Roosevelt, hand resting on a sledgehammer labeled “My Policies,” standing at the entrance to his shop “T. Roosevelt Horseshoer & Wheelwright” with “Dr. Abbott” at his side. A sign on the wall states, “Autos, Air-ships & Bicycles Repaired.” Road signs labeled “Republican Turnpike” are pointing into the background. At center and right is a jumble of ruined vehicles. A small wagon labeled “Direct Primaries” is being pulled in opposite directions by “Gov. Hughes” and “Wadsworth.” “Beveridge” gestures toward a wagon labeled “Indiana Campaign” that has lost a wheel. President Taft is driving a sulky labeled “Aldrich Tariff,” drawn by the Republican elephant, that has lost the rim to one wheel. A woman labeled “Woman’s Suffrage” is holding a bicycle with damaged tires. “La Follette” is pointing to the foot of a horse labeled “Wisconsin Campaign.” “Parsons” and “Woodruff” are in an automobile that has had an accident, while “Murdock” appears to be kicking one of the tires. An airplane labeled “Conservation,” with “Pinchot” and “Garfield” on board, has crashed into a tree labeled “Ballinger.” Also in the mix is a man labeled “Poindexter,” and in the background is “Penrose” walking away from an automobile accident labeled “Pennsylvania.” In the lower left corner is the shadow of the Democratic donkey.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1910-08-03
Print shows William Jennings Bryan as the Democratic Donkey with the bit end of a bridle in his mouth, trying to climb out of a hole constructed of blocks labeled “Aguinaldoism, Anti-Trust, Anti-Imperialism, Free Riots, Anti-Expansion, Free Silver, Populism, Calamity Cry, [and] Chicago Platform,” with the U.S. Capitol nearby.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1899-12-27
Print shows Uncle Sam and Columbia taking Christmas presents off a Christmas tree and distributing them to Native children labeled “Hawaii, Samoa, Puerto Rico, Cuba, [and] Philippine.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1899-12-27
Print shows William Jennings Bryan as Don Quixote, riding the democratic donkey and carrying a broom labeled “Anti-Trust Guff” through a landscape of windmills labeled “Trust.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1899-10-18
Grover Cleveland rides the Democratic donkey past the “Republican R. R. R. Hotel” on the way to his inauguration. He is surrounded by a host of characters that includes many political figures and newspaper editors, including Joseph F. Keppler with his diminutive character Puck. Among those depicted are: Roscoe Conkling, George Edmunds, Augustus Garland, “Hampton,” “William H. Barnum,” L. Q. C. Lamar, “Grace,” “Jones,” Joseph Pulitzer, James G. Bennett, Henry B. Ward, Samuel J. Randall, Thomas Hendricks, Abram S. Hewitt, U. S. Grant, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, “McDonas,” Daniel Manning, George W. Curtis, Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel J. Tilden, Thomas F. Bayard (carrying a flag that states “Public Office is a Public Trust. G. Cleveland”), Joseph Medill, William C. Endicott, John Logan, James G. Blaine, Carl Schurz, William F. Vilas, Cox, Winfield Scott Hancock, Benjamin Harrison, Henry Watterson, and Hermann “Raster.” Also shown is Puck’s Independent Party figure and papers labeled “Compliments of C. A. Dana.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-03-04
Print shows Chester A. Arthur riding the Republican elephant tossed high in the air in a “Political Arena.” The elephant is patched with scandals labeled “Credit Mobilier, Collusion with Monopolies, Back Pay Grab, Third Termism, Whiskey Ring, Navy Ring, [and] Dorsey ‘Soap’ 1880.” Below, on the floor of the arena, Samuel J. Tilden is sitting backwards on a donkey labeled “Incurable” and Puck’s Independent Party figure is riding a bucking bull, its horns labeled “Anti-Monopoly” and “Tariff Reform.” Puck applauds from a viewing stand on the right; sitting in the grandstand at left are Ulysses S. Grant, Cyrus W. Field, Rutherford B. Hayes, Thomas F. Bayard, Winfield Scott Hancock, Benjamin F. Butler, Adams, David Davis, Allen G. Thurman, William M. Evarts, Abram S. Hewitt, George F. Edmunds, Wayne MacVeagh, and George B. McClellan. Caption: Puck presents another prophetic cartoon – and the sooner it is realized the better.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1882-04-19
The Governor of New York, David B. Hill, rides backwards on the Democratic donkey labeled “Democracy” running on railroad tracks near a sign that states “Look Out for the Enlightening Express.” He is waving papers labeled “Defiance to Mugwumps” at a locomotive labeled “Independents” bearing down on him and driven by a familiar Puck cartoon figure with Carl Schurz standing behind him. To the right of the tracks are an old man dressed as a clown labeled “Sun,” looking down at a small elephant lying on the ground, also dressed as a clown, that looks like Benjamin F. Butler. Next to them are William W. Phelps and Whitelaw Reid resting on the fallen Republican elephant that looks like James G. Blaine and is labeled “Ditched Nov. 1884.” Caption: The little experiment made by the Blaine Republicans last year will now be repeated by the New York Democrats.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-10-07
A man labeled “Hill” holds a large magnifying glass labeled “Democratic Press Magnifier” between a donkey with blinders labeled “N. Y. Democracy” and a tiny shock of hay labeled “Cleveland’s Weak Indorsement.” The donkey is salivating over the large shock of hay labeled “Cleveland’s Indorsement” that it sees through the hand lens.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-10-14
David B. Hill and a donkey labeled “N. Y. Democracy” sit on the ground, staring at each other, next to railroad tracks with a caboose rolling into the background. They look as though they were thrown off the train for freeloading.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-11-04
President Cleveland and his cabinet officers struggle to push and pull the Democratic donkey labeled “Bourbon Democracy” into a stable labeled “Reform Stables.” On the donkey’s hooves, acting as brakes, are the faces of John Kelly labeled “Spoils System,” Charles A. Dana labeled “Anti-Civil Service Reform,” “Mclaughlin”, [and] “J.R. M’Lean.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-07-22
A large group of politicians, newspaper editors, Tammany Hall bosses, and others are dressed as Native Americans. One carries a banner that shows a crude drawing of the Tammany tiger labeled “Flathead Tribe.” The group is on a long march in opposition to President Cleveland’s civil service reform agenda. In the upper left corner is the “Blainiac Reservation” and in the opposite corner is Cleveland and his cabinet laying tracks for the “Reform R. R.,” keeping ahead of the “Administration Construction Train.” In the foreground, Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks is leading the Democratic donkey labeled “Bourbonism,” carrying two baskets, one with “Old Ideas” and the other labeled “The Perennial Pappooses” holding Charles A. Dana and Benjamin F. Butler. Standing just to the right is John Kelly carrying Philip H. Dugro in a cradleboard.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-08-12
President Wilson, as a pharaoh, rides in an Egyptian chariot drawn by the Democratic donkey. Wilson holds a small sword and ropes attached to a man labeled “Monopoly” whose arms are bound behind him, walking on his knees, and wearing a money-bag crown, a moose, representing the Bull Moose Movement, and the Republican elephant. In the upper right are two figures labeled “Underwood” and “Simmons” leading an army of Congressmen who supported the Underwood-Simmons Act.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1913-10-01
William Jennings Bryan and William H. Taft drive a stake labeled “Publicity” into the ground in a wilderness area. A rope labeled “Public Opinion” is tied to the stake, and one end is tied to the Democratic donkey’s tail while the other end is tied to one leg of the Republican elephant. Caption: And the green grass grows all ’round.
In mid-August 1908, the presidential campaign between William H. Taft and William Jennings Bryan moved into gear in the public square as well as the pages of opinion journals like Puck. The weekly’s owner and chief cartoonist Udo J. Keppler open the head-to-head contest with “Tethered,” a remarkable drawing for what it implies.
Full color political cartoon depicting President Roosevelt cutting the bonds that are restraining the Republican elephant. The bonds have labels reflecting factional difficulties and fighting. The Democratic Party can be seen in the form of a braying donkey in the background.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1906
Charles Evans “Hughes” appears as a sphinx labeled “Senate” and “Assembly” in a desert at night, with a donkey and an elephant standing in the foreground. Several presidential candidates stand on the left, including Joseph Gurney Cannon, William H. Taft, and Charles W. Fairbanks. They are straining to hear some words from the sphinx.
There are times in politics and opinion journalism when people find it advantageous to promote a cause or a candidate when circumstances suggest futility. In some cases the proponents keep hope alive in order to fuel a longer-range objective, or to fan the flames of controversy, or occasionally, to sell copies of newspapers or magazine.
“Miss Democracy” lies on a donkey-skin rug before a fireplace in her boudoir or bedroom, as William Jennings Bryan, carrying a bouquet, enters through curtains in the background.
It is hard to imagine a more derisive and dismissive depiction of William Jennings Bryan as an aging lothario; the desirability of the Democratic Party’s nomination (an ugly old maid); or the party itself, shown as a ratty throw-rug. BIt is the political cartoonist’s prerogative to have fun with his art, even at the expense of his own political party.