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Cartoon depicting the grim reaper at a gravestone for soldiers from the Spanish-American War. At the bottom it reads, “Shall this monument be erected to political incompetence and corruption?”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1898
The Grim Reaper, dressed as a steamboat captain, holds a scythe and directs crowds of people on an “Annual Sunday School Excursion” through the entrance to the “Wooden Steamboat Co.” to board an old wooden steamboat that is in disrepair and carrying outdated life preservers.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1904-07-06
On the left, a theater manager is bribing an inspector during an inspection of fire prevention equipment, while the specter of the Grim Reaper hovers above. On the right, a female figure labeled “Public opinion” holds three diminutive men labeled “Politician, Manager, [and] Inspector” and points toward the remains of a theater following a fire.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1904-01-27
The spirits of alcoholism, opium dens, prostitution, gambling, and street crime, as well as the figure of Death, issue from a tenement house. Caption: Not only an evil in itself, but the vice, crime and disease it breeds invade the homes of rich and poor alike.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1901-03-20
At center, a capitalist sits on money bags labeled “Insurance Money” and leans against several papers labeled “New Policy.” He is gambling with the Grim Reaper, while all around them disasters are happening. A panic-stricken crowd flees a burning theater, a hotel and a tenement building are on fire, a side-wheeler steam ship has exploded, an ocean liner sinks, and a railroad train has crashed. At each of these disasters is a notice that states “Heavily Insured.” Caption: Too Enterprising American Capitalist – Keep up the game! I can lose nothing – I’m heavily insured.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1883-01-24
Father Time presents the new year labeled “1886” to Puck standing in the foreground, holding his lithographic pencil. Behind him are scenes of events from 1885, such as President Cleveland’s inauguration on March 4, Fredinand Ward’s conviction and William Mahone’s defeat, publication of Pope Leo XIII’s “Encyclical” Immortale Dei, Louis Pasteur’s anti-rabies vaccine, Chinese attacked in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and Tacoma, Washington Territory, and the Grim Reaper strikes down Ulysses S. Grant, Alfonso XII of Spain, William H. Vanderbilt, composer Leopold Damrosch, Cardinal McCloskey, Thomas Hendricks, and Victor Hugo. Fighting continues in Bulgaria, Sudan, Tonquin, and Spain.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-12-30
The Grim Reaper, falling down a hillside, loses his crown and breaks his scythe, after being knocked away from a speeding train with a passenger car labeled “Steel Car” racing along the tracks.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1913-10-29
The specter of Death sits with a scythe on its lap, on the construction site of the Panama Canal.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1904-06-22
An ocean liner, probably the Titanic, sinks amid icebergs with many passengers jumping into the sea for lack of enough lifeboats, as a few lifeboats loaded with passengers row clear of the ship. Caption: The Grim Spectre — Why all this hue and cry about lifeboats? Have you not your veranda and Parisian cafes, palm-garden, squash-court, gymnasium, swimming-pool, Turkish baths, and a la carte restaurant?
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1912-05-08