Presidents--Elections

The confusion of tongues

A disagreement has broken out among Republicans who were working to construct a tower labeled “Republican Harmony.” They have broken off into small factions clustered around building blocks labeled “Progressivism” with the Republican elephant sitting against it sniffing “Smelling Salts,” “Radicalism” over which “Munsey” and “Woodruff” are engaged in a discussion, “Conservatism” on which President Taft sits gesturing toward “La Follette” who is standing on his head and “Pinchot” trying to make a point to “Barnes” who is facing a diminutive “Job Hedges,” “Standpatism” around which “Cummins, Cannon, Sherman, Penrose, [and] Root” are involved in a heated discussion, and “Meism” upon which Theodore Roosevelt is jumping up and down and gesturing wildly. Others present are “Dixon [and] W.B. McKinley” who appear about to come to blows, as are “Perkins [and] Garfield.” “Lorimer,” wearing a bandage labeled “Vindication,” addresses “Lodge [and] “Gov. Stubbs” and, in the background, on the right, the man standing on a block addressing a crowd may be Charles W. Fairbanks. The few tools visible sit idle. Caption: Sad finish of the Republican tower of Babel.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-06-12

“Down with the bosses!”

Theodore Roosevelt grimaces in anger with both arms raised. He is wearing Uncle Sam’s clothes, who is running off in a barrel to hide his nakedness. Also departing in fear are the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey. Convention Number.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-06-19

Sleeping beauty

Former Governor of Massachusetts, William L. Douglas, appears as a courtier, gesturing toward a woman labeled “Democratic Victory” on a bed “Asleep Since 1892,” and asking Oscar W. Underwood, Woodrow Wilson, Champ Clark, and Judson Harmon which has “a better chance of waking her.” Douglas holds a shield with the message “Record: Tariff reform Democrat. Elected Governor of Massachusetts by 35,995 when Roosevelt carried that state against Parker by 92,076.” A lady-in-waiting, the Democratic donkey, has fallen asleep at the foot of the bed. The room is filled with cobwebs labeled “Defeat in 1896, Defeat in 1900, Defeat in 1904, [and] Defeat in 1908,” and is becoming overgrown with tree roots.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-06-19

Such a business!

A nurse labeled “Mack” opens a window to the “Democratic Maternity,” outside of which are several storks carrying newborns labeled “Gaynor, Bryan, Douglas, Harmon, Clark, Wilson, [and] Underwood,” as well as what appears to be the Democratic donkey.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-06-26

He doesn’t realize what is coming to him

President William H. Taft swims in a sea of “Presidential Surf.” Below the waves, unseen by Taft, are many crabs listed by state of the union, and one large crab with the face of Theodore Roosevelt, that is about to pinch Taft.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-07-17

The revival of an ancient skin game

President Taft, as the biblical figure Jacob, wears robes labeled “Progressivism” and goat skins labeled “Delegates.” He is kneeling before the Republican elephant labeled “G.O.P.” as the aged biblical figure Isaac, who is feeling the skins worn by Taft. To the left is a steaming dish of “Savory Politics” that Jacob presented to Isaac. Standing in the background are three men, of which two are identified as “Barnes” and “Sherman.” Standing just right of center is Elihu Root as the biblical figure “Rebekah,” who looks anxious at the approach of “Teddy” as the biblical figure Esau, with a deer over his shoulders labeled “Popularity.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-07-17

To swat ’em is waste of time

A swarm of mosquitoes labeled “Trust” flies over a swamp labeled “High Protective Tariff.” An insert shows an oil can labeled “Revision Downward Oil – Wilson Brand.” Caption: Pour oil, and plenty of it, on the thing that breeds them.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-07-24

“And the waters were divided”

Woodrow Wilson, as Moses, stands on a rock with his left arm raised at the parting of the seas labeled “Republican Split,” through which a horde of Democrats labeled “Marshall, M’Combs, Bryan, Kern, Williams, O’Gorman, Harmon, Mack, Gore, Underwood, Clark, Watterson, [and] Harvey” escape the “Predatory Pharaohs” caught on the far shore as the sea closes between them. Caption: The walking is good to the Promised Land.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-07-31

The trusts – the tariff – the nigger in the woodpile

Woodrow Wilson pulls a leg labeled “The Tariff” that is caught in a woodpile labeled “The Trusts.” The Democratic donkey observes from the far end of the woodpile. Caption: “The tariff is the center of the problem of the Trusts and of the present cost of living.”–Woodrow Wilson.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-08-07

Salvation is free, but it doesn’t appeal to him

Theodore Roosevelt, looking somewhat devilish, appears as a minister standing in a pool labeled “Teddyism,” attempting to pull the Republican elephant in for an immersion baptism. A small “Third-Party Choir” stands behind him composed of “Perkins, Munsey, Pinchot, [and] Garfield.” President Taft and others labeled “Sherman, Barnes, Lodge, Penrose, Crane, Root, [and] McKinley” are holding the elephant back. Crowds of people watch from a boardwalk, wharf, and a nearby pavilion. Caption: Third-Party Choir — “And sinners bathed beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-08-07

Sitting up with a sick friend

President Taft lies in a bed with a “Reactionary Ice Bag” on his head. The Republican elephant is keeping a bedside vigil and attempting to keep him cool with a fan labeled “Hope.” On a nearby table is a bottle of “Progressive Tonic” and note from “Old Dr. Root” that states “Caution to Nurse–Be careful not to give an overdose.” On the floor are notes from “Old Dr. Crane, Old Dr. Penrose, [and] Old Dr. Barnes.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-08-14

The great American bull-fight

At a bullfight, Theodore Roosevelt is the bull surrounded by picadors and banderilleros labeled “La Follette, Root, Taft, Sherman, Bryan, Watterson, [and] Crane,” and William Barnes, who is unidentified. The men are thrusting lances and banderillas into the bull, while the matador, Woodrow Wilson, waits in the upper right background to finish it off. Caption: When the picadors sufficiently puncture him, the matador will finish him.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-08-21

The call

A moose hunter uses a bullhorn labeled “Insatiate Egotism” to call moose. A large bull moose with the face of Theodore Roosevelt stands off in the distance. The reflection in a body of water shows a bull moose.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-08-28

The full dinner-pail

A personified full dinner pail, banged up in places and a little drunk (there is a bottle labeled “Bluff” at his feet), is leaning against a door labeled “1912” with the door frame labeled “The Presidency” and is having difficulty getting the key into the lock. Caption: “Looksh like I washn’t goin’ t’ get in thish time!”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-09-04

The birth of the Progressive Party

In his acceptance speech as the presidential candidate for the Progressive Party, Theodore Roosevelt describes the need for the party’s break from the Republicans and his campaign platform.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1912-06-22

“After you, Teddy!”

Theodore Roosevelt, on his way to the “Hall of Fame,” passes between two rows of kings, emperors, military leaders, statesmen, and others, including, on the left, “Alexander, Nimrod, Caesar, Joshua, Solomon, Moses,” and possibly Ramses I, King of Egypt; and on the right, “Wellington, Washington, Napoleon I, Frederick the Great, Cromwell, Shakespere [sic], Luther,” and two unidentified kings, possibly William I and Richard I, kings of England.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-09-04

The lost ski

President Taft skis down a steep slope labeled “Nomination Slide 1912.” One ski is labeled “Control of Senate” and the other, which has broken its strap and come loose, is labeled “Control of House.” Taft looks about to fall after losing one ski.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911-01-18

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Bradley T. Johnson

Governor Roosevelt thanks General Johnson for the “thoughtful” letter he recently received from him and states that he knows the results of the presidential election. Roosevelt also passes along the greetings of Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1900-11-08

Letter from Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to J. M. Bruce

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary responds to an inquiry from J. M. Bruce whether Roosevelt will run for president. He confirms that Roosevelt has “definitely decided to run,” and that he “will make a hard campaign between now and November.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-06-28

He’s good enough for me

A cartoon depicting Uncle Sam patting President Roosevelt on the back, endorsing him for a second term as President. This copy is inscribed, “To Mr. Stoddard from Homer Davenport.”

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Creation Date

1904