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The front cover of this issue features a political cartoon by Alonzo W. Scarborough depicting Theodore Roosevelt wielding the big stick with some of his political foes scattered at his feet. The back cover features a painting by Michael Raymond Gnatek with Roosevelt at its center surrounded by various scenes and symbols from his life.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1999
The front and back covers of this issue feature cartoon illustrations by Chris Ware that originally appeared on pages 24 and 25 of the April 2014 issue of Cobblestone children’s magazine which examined the life of Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2014
The combination of a drawing and a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt from the front cover of an issue of Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly Newspaper from 1916 serves as the front cover illustration for this issue while a cartoon of Roosevelt drawn by Jay N. Darling shortly after Roosevelt’s death in 1919 appears on the back cover.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1919
Robert Wexelblatt describes Rick Marschall’s Bully! The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt as a picture book illustrated with a biography, and he asserts that the scores of political cartoons found within it are “the real glory of the book.” Wexelblatt believes that Marschall has produced an illustrated biography that is both fun and useful, and he provides background on Marschall’s expertise as both a historian and as a political cartoonist which makes him uniquely qualified to pen such a work. Two cartoons found in Bully! accompany the review.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2011
The front and back covers feature political cartoons from Puck magazine in 1910. Both cartoons depict Theodore Roosevelt and both address the topic of Roosevelt’s return to the United States after his fifteen months abroad in 1909 and 1910. The front cover shows the Republican party elephant imploring Roosevelt to return to the United States while the back cover depicts Roosevelt wading ashore to a welcoming crowd.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1910-06-15
Art Koch reveals the subject and context of the third “TR-era image” which is a political cartoon showing Theodore Roosevelt shooting holes in a dictionary with two revolvers. Koch reveals that this cartoon from September 1906 pokes fun at Roosevelt’s directive to the Government Printing Office to use a simplified form of spelling in government documents, and he lists some notable Americans who supported Roosevelt’s reforms. The fourth image in the series shows a typical street scene of storefronts, horse drawn wagons, and telephone poles.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1906
Art Koch reveals the subjects and context of the second “TR-era image” which features Theodore Roosevelt with fellow hunters near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in the spring of 1905. Koch notes that one of the subjects in the picture had her head erased by the photographer under direction of Roosevelt who was offended that she had intruded herself among his hunting companions. The third image features a cartoon of Roosevelt shooting at a dictionary with two revolvers while the ghosts of three famous writers hover over the dictionary.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1905
Henry J. Hendrix describes the negotiations in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, between Russia and Japan in an effort to end the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Hendrix also details the role played by President Theodore Roosevelt, especially his use of third parties to act as intermediaries between him and the warring powers. Hendrix notes that Roosevelt persuaded the Japanese to surrender their demand for an indemnity from the Russians, convincing them that asking for a payment would appear to the world as continuing the war simply for money. Hendrix asserts that studying the negotiations reveals that Roosevelt was in charge of his diplomacy; that he was “deeply involved” in the process; and that he made effective use of back-channel or third party diplomacy.
Two photographs and two political cartoons of Roosevelt illustrate the article.
In an essay on politics and politicians, Theodore Roosevelt argues that politicians should not promise voters what they know to be impossible to achieve; they should only promise what they know can be achieved in the political system, and they should then strive to fulfill these realizable promises through practical politics. Roosevelt also asserts that compromise is often needed to secure the passage of legislation and that compromise should not be sneered at by politicians.
Three political cartoons depicting Roosevelt in 1884, 1889, and 1912 illustrate the essay.
The front cover of this issue features Homer Davenport’s endorsement of President Theodore Roosevelt in a famous 1904 political cartoon while the back cover photograph shows Roosevelt speaking from the platform of his train in Osceola, Iowa, during the Great Western Tour of 1903.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1904
The front cover features a caricature of Theodore Roosevelt by cartoonist C.R. Macauley depicting Roosevelt as a battleship with “The Big Stick” held in his mouth. Two quotations from Roosevelt serve as captions for the cartoon. The photograph on the back cover shows Roosevelt standing next to a large globe.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1901-1903
The combined “Books” and “Book Notes” sections contain four lengthy reviews, a brief review essay, and a notice about five works related to the life of Theodore Roosevelt. It also includes a short excerpt from Roosevelt’s writings on conservation and a report by Wallace Finley Dailey on the status of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University. Christopher Volpe praises Edward Renehan’s biography of John Burroughs and highlights Burroughs’s friendships with Roosevelt and the poet Walt Whitman. Volpe notes that Burroughs was a very popular figure as a nature writer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, but that he fell into obscurity after his death in 1921.
John A. Gable admires the cartoons and commentary found in J. David Valaik’s Theodore Roosevelt, An American Hero in Caricature which reproduces forty-seven caricatures of Roosevelt found in the pages of Puck magazine. Gable also favors Caleb Carr’s historical novel, The Alienist, which revolves around Roosevelt’s tenure as Police Commissioner of New York City. Gable, deeply skeptical of fictional portrayals of Roosevelt, finds Carr’s treatment “entirely accurate,” and he notes how other characters that people the novel have roots in real persons.
James G. Lewis reviews Char Miller’s Gifford Pinchot: The Evolution of an American Conservationist and notes that the work challenges the established view of the relationship between Pinchot and John Muir. Lewis says that Miller is “writing revisionist environmental history” by providing a nuanced portrait of Pinchot. Some of the selections as well as some of the commentary found in Mario R. Di Nunzio’s Theodore Roosevelt: An American Mind are questioned by the anonymous reviewer.
Wallace Finley Dailey, Curator of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University, provides a detailed update on manuscript and book additions to the collection; the use of the collection holdings by numerous authors; and the adoption of new computer based cataloging technology. Dailey also discusses fundraising efforts, exhibitions using the collection materials, and donations from members of the Roosevelt family. Photographs of Burroughs, Pinchot, Carr, and Valiak appear in the sections along with a view of the Theodore Roosevelt Gallery at Harvard.
Michael Kelly describes the fallout from the dinner meeting between Booker T. Washington and President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House on October 16, 1901. Kelly quotes from newspaper accounts of the time, and examines eight examples of political memorabilia that emerged from the meeting such as political cartoons and buttons. The items, which are shown in the article, mostly criticize Roosevelt and portray African Americans in a racist manner, although two items, a picture and a button, emphasize the word “equality” and were originally intended to praise the meeting. Kelly notes that the meeting was widely and fervently criticized in the South but met with a warm reception in the African American community and the items produced reflect those differing opinions.
John A. Gable provides a short introduction to the article and says that historians and historical journals need to preserve and study the past “however unpleasant or distasteful such records may be.” Eight illustrations of political cartoons, buttons, and campaign memorabilia supplement the text.
Frederick W. Marks examines Theodore Roosevelt’s rules for conducting diplomacy, including maintaining a large, capable navy, using force as a last resort, and keeping one’s word. He compares Roosevelt’s conduct of foreign policy to several other presidents and demonstrates how some of them experienced setbacks when they failed to adhere to Roosevelt’s precepts. Marks argues that Roosevelt is deeply admired overseas and that it is only in the United States that he is subject to persistent caricature.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1981
New York Governor Benjamin B. Odell and President Roosevelt stand on a “G.O.P.” rug. One of Odell’s heads labeled “governor” looks away from Roosevelt while the “chairman” head looks toward Roosevelt. Similarly, Roosevelt’s “boss” head looks at Odell while the “president” head looks away.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-05-23
William H. Taft, President Roosevelt, and William Jennings Bryan wear Rough Rider uniforms and carry big sticks. Roosevelt stands in the middle, and his stick reads: “My policies.” Taft and Bryan face each other. Taft’s stick is labeled “My policies please,” while Bryan’s is labeled “No! My policies.”
One of America’s early histories of political cartooning was entitled Wordless Journalism. This cartoon by W. A. Rogers, one of his best, is an example of that model. With no dialogue, and no complicated labels or symbols, this single drawing speaks volumes about President Roosevelt’s popular sway, his relationship with his chosen successor, and the issues of the 1908 presidential campaign. It also concisely summarizes a dozen years of policy evolutions in the Democratic Party.
Alton B. Parker paints a picture of President Roosevelt and Chair of the Republican National Committee George B. Cortelyou robbing the “trusts” for the “campaign fund.” Roosevelt holds an “anti-trust prosecution” big stick in his hand. A disgusted voter clenches his fists and walks away. Caption: Voter—”Attacks on the president’s personal honesty can gain you no votes, Mr. Parker.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11-03
President Roosevelt cuts down a tree while a dog looks on. There are five tree stumps in the background.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-12
Black ink cartoon featuring mugs with the features of George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1908-02-19
Democratic postcard featuring Theodore Roosevelt driving a runaway moose-drawn carriage toward a sign reading “To Democracy,” shouting “Whoa, bull, nice bull, they’re all Progressives and friends of mine.” Behind the carriage are figures of men labelled “Wall Street,” “Penrose,” “Barnes,” and “Hughes.” While Roosevelt endorsed Hughes as Progressive Party nominee in 1916, other well-known Progressives did not. They supported Wilson because Hughes was not a vocal supporter of what they considered basic Progressive ideas, such as the income tax and the eight-hour day. That is why Hughes is shown here along with other truly non-Progressives such as Wall Street and Republican political boss from Pennsylvania Boies Penrose.
1916