Legislators

Schuyler Colfax stands at a lectern labeled “Speaker Colfax – Pious Hypocrite and Credit Mobilier Bribe-Taker.” James G. Blaine stands at a lectern labeled “Speaker Blaine – ‘Magnetic’ Blusterer and Railroad Stock-Jobber.” Joseph W. Keifer stands at a lectern labeled “Speaker Keifer – The Corrupt Tool of Robeson et al.” Blaine gestures toward three portraits hanging on the wall in the background, of former Democratic Speakers of the House, labeled “Kerr, Randall, [and] Carlisle.” Caption: The three last speakers of the “Untrustworthy and Disreputable Democratic Party,” and the three last speakers of the “Grand Old Republican Party of Moral Ideas.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-07-16

Creator(s)

Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937

Samuel S. Cox, as a court jester, is booted off a podium by a man sitting in the “Speaker’s Chair” in a congressional chamber, and is about to land on the floor. Cox is holding a stick with balloons attached labeled “Jokes, Witticisms, [and] Sarcasm,” and a book “by S. S. Cox” titled “Why We Laugh” (possibly the new and enlarged 1880 edition of his book first published in 1876) drops to the floor next to him. In the upper right, looking on approvingly, are members of Congress, Allen G. Thurman and Lucius Q. C. Lamar among them.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1883-12-05

Creator(s)

Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896

A man hands money to a Congressional Page to purchase the legislative services of a Congressman. On the left and in the background, Congressmen are shown sitting in the House or Senate chamber with signs advertising their prices, such as “I will do anything for $20,000, I can be bought for $10,000, My price is according to the size of the job, [and] My price is only $5000.00.” Caption: As it is plain that most of our Congressmen are for sale, they might as well display their prices prominently.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-01-09

Creator(s)

Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937

Whitelaw Reid, dressed as a dandy, turns away from a young woman labeled “N. Y. State” who is carrying a bucket labeled “Reform Milk” and headed in a direction indicated by a sign “To Reform.” He is turning down a marriage proposal before it has been offered. Caption: “I cannot marry you, my pretty maid!” / “Nobody axed you, sir!” she said.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-12-03

Creator(s)

Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896

William M. Evarts is pictured as a knight on horseback with Whitelaw Reid as his page. Reid is blowing a horn labeled “Evarts Letter” outside the “Albany Legislature” castle to announce Evarts’ arrival. Reid’s clothing is labeled “Old Issues, Bloody Shirt, [and] Blainiac.” Evarts has a plume labeled “Blaine Influence” tied to his helmet and he carries a pike with banner labeled “Barkis is willin’,” from Dickens’ David Copperfield, chapter 5.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-12-31

Creator(s)

Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896

A large ape labeled “Irish Vote” sits on a ballot box, holding a shillelagh. He is being pumped up by a bellows labeled “Demagogery” manipulated by Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa and others. Behind them stands James G. Blaine with a copy of “Irish World” in his pocket, and kneeling nearby is John Kelly. A crowd of congressmen are supplicating themselves to the “Irish Vote,” including John Sherman, John A. Logan, and George F. Edmunds. Caption: The reason why we cannot expect legislation on the dynamite question.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1885-02-04

Creator(s)

Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896

Puck reclines before a table covered with alcoholic beverages, some labeled “V. H. Dusenbury’s P.P. Brandy” and “Puck Punch [No London Punch],” smoking and blowing smoke rings. Among the figures appearing in Puck’s smoke cloud are Chester Alan Arthur labeled “For a Good Veto” and fishing for “Popularity”; George M. Robeson at the helm of a boat carrying a large money bag labeled “Appropriation”; Jay Gould, Russell Sage, and William H. Vanderbilt sailing on a boat labeled “Monopoly”; Susan B. Anthony and another woman, George William Curtis labeled “Civil Service Reform,” Roscoe Conkling, Jay A. Hubbell labeled “Deform,” Ulysses S. Grant labeled “No Third Term,” David Davis, Robert Green Ingersoll boxing with Thomas De Witt Talmage, James Gordon Bennett, “Old Rossa” with “Dynamite,” Cyrus W. Field trying to net a “Coronet,” John Kelly and Samuel J. Tilden on a seesaw, William Russell Grace standing on a rock labeled “Public Esteem” with Seth Low trying to climb up, and James Russell Lowell on a “British Mission.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-08-09

Creator(s)

Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894

“Policeman Puck” and Uncle Sam investigate a robbery at the U.S. Treasury. A safe has been broken into and a barrel labeled “150,000,000 $ Surplus” is empty, and there is a hole in the floor which leads to the Congressional chamber, below. A crumpled notice on the floor of the chamber states, “Congressional Theatre – The Hit of the Season!!! ‘The 40 Thieves’ – Keifer manager, Robeson property man.” The robbery happens to coincide with the end of the first session of the 47th Congress. A ladder labeled “Adjournment of Congress” leans against an open window, supported by John A. Logan and John Sherman, as Horace F. Page and two other Congressmen descend. Other Congressmen, among them George M. Robeson carrying a sack labeled “Navy Appropriation” and James D. Cameron dragging a sack labeled “River & Harbor,” are headed for their home states carrying sacks with “$” on them. Caption: Policeman Puck to Uncle Sam–“This is the work of Professionals!”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1882-08-16

Creator(s)

Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894

President Taft struggles to conduct an orchestra composed of two groups of musicians. On the left, playing the “Eastern Conservatism” on stringed instruments, are “Root, Crane, Smoot, Depew, Aldrich, [and] Gallinger.” On the right, playing the “Western Conservatism” on horns and percussion instruments, are “Knute Nelson, Dolliver, Cummins, Clapp, Bristow, [and] La Follette.” Caption: Pity the poor leader of the Washington Symphony Orchestra.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1909-12-22

Uncle Sam, at the edge of a swamp labeled “The Tariff in Politics,” is being attacked by a horde of mosquitoes labeled on the wing as “Sectionalism, Subsidized Senator, Lobbyist, Graft, Kept Congressman, Protected Monopoly, Over-Protected, [and] Infant Industry.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1909-08-11

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

Uncle Sam sweeps the steps of Congress as the various politicians and interest groups leave. President Taft is in the upper right hand corner, waving cheerfully. Theodore Roosevelt is next to Taft and holding a copy of The Outlook. A tower labeled “Oyster Bay” is behind Roosevelt. In the caption, Uncle Sam says, “I’m glad it’s all over.”

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1910

Creator(s)

Unknown

At center a man speaks on the floor of the House chamber while other legislators attend to their own business. The audience in the gallery above strains to hear without realizing that the process of legislation takes place in committee rooms and not on the House floor. Caption: A sample session in these days of legislation in committee rooms. Just a little side-show for the gallery.

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1908-05-13

A group of senators (labeled Aldrich, Frye, Spooner, Penrose, Tillman, Bailey, Foraker, and Elkins) dressed as Native Americans perform a war dance around a totem pole with the face of President Theodore Roosevelt carved at the top. A drum labeled “The Press” is in the foreground while “Tom” and “Chauncey” stand in the background. Caption: Recent despatches from the Washington reservation report that the Senator Indians are again on the war path.

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1907-01-16

A large egg labeled “Taft’s Message” has hatched in the congressional chamber, startling the congressmen. Two large conjoined chicks (a double-yolk), labeled “Reciprocity” and wearing hats labeled “Canada” and “U.S.,” are standing on the broken shell.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911-04-12

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

Uncle Sam stands behind a group of legislators and businessmen who are bowing before a large hog labeled “Greed” with its front feet in a trough labeled “Wall Street.” Caption: Those who know the term but not its meaning may find enlightenment above.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911-04-19

Creator(s)

Ross, Gordon, 1873-1946

Senator William Lorimer, seated and wearing a kimono, with both hands raised, suggests that he will not consider “Political Hara-Kiri” and will not “Resign” as ways to resolve his political crisis.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911-05-17

Creator(s)

Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959

Illustration shows the drafting of Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. Two men labeled “The Big Interests” and “Political Boss,” who has a “Legislator” in his back pocket, are peeking from behind a curtain labeled “The Intervening Years.” Caption: Present-Day Boss — They couldn’t have hit on a better way of electing senators if we’d been there to fix them.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911-07-12

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

The Republican elephant labeled “G.O.P.” is about to drink from a cup labeled “Reciprocity.” With him are several men labeled “Root, Sherman, Cannon, La Follette, Crane, Lodge, Payne, Dick, Gallinger, Penrose” and one unidentified man. Some are distraught, while others are merely watching.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911-08-09

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

List of congressional nominees, arranged by state, for the November 4, 1902, election.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-10-29

Creator(s)

Republican Congressional Committee

Representative Babcock encloses a list of legislators elected to Congress, of which at least 206 are Republican.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-11-05

Creator(s)

Babcock, J. W. (Joseph Weeks), 1850-1909