Porters

Alton B. Parker sits in a chair strapped to the back of David B. Hill, who is carrying him up a narrow, treacherous, rocky trail on the edge of a mountain “to [the] St. Louis Convention.” Hill’s walking stick, labeled “Trickery” and “Peanut Politics,” has been broken and mended. Caption: Parker — I think I’ll get out and walk.

comments and context

Comments and Context

With the Democratic National Convention only weeks away, and the presidential nomination its main order of business, the dark horse boosted by Puck and other conservative Democrats was looking like a sure bet. Appeals Court Judge Alton B. Parker was the darkest of dark horses: having never served in an elected executive office; without a constituency or party base; and an advocate of few known positions. But, he was not William Jennings Bryan, whose waning power was still dreaded by mainline Democrats.

A traveling couple is set upon by every member of the service industry – coachmen, porters, maids, messengers, busboys, and cooks – for some amount of remuneration. The cause is illustrated in the upper right, where the manager of the hotel tells his staff to extract payment from the guests in lieu of wages. The “hold-up” of a stagecoach takes place in the background on the upper left. Caption: In olden days the highwayman did the job himself; nowadays he directs his minions to do it.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1901-07-03

Passengers in a railroad sleeping car tell the porter to make sure to put them “off at Buffalo” so they can visit the Pan-American Exposition.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The humor in this non-political cartoon is noting the various social types flocking to the fair in Buffalo: society snobs, pretty girls, rural types, foreigners, cowboys, old maids, and children. A point of irony, certainly no prediction of any sort, is the brandishing of a handgun; within four months President William McKinley would be assassinated by an anarchist with a handgun at that very fair.

Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary writes George H. Leet that Roosevelt recollects discussing how much to tip the porter and to state that Roosevelt was discussing money “in the tomb” is “nonsensical.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-06-07

Image of Theodore Roosevelt standing next to a train and facing four men. Reverse of the postcard contains the description: “SELECTING HEAD PORTERS. The success and comfort of any African hunting-expedition depends largely on the work done by the porters. If the head porters are not capable, desertions may occur and thus delay the expedition or actually leave it stranded in the midst of the jungle. For this reason great care is exercised in selecting the head porter boys and in this picture we see Roosevelt inspecting those who are to command the natives of his expedition.”

Collection

Fritz R. Gordner Collection

Creation Date

1909

A diminutive man labeled “Latin Races” carries a hefty clergyman on his shoulders.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1899/02/01