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Theodore Roosevelt describes conditions on-board ship as hot and crowded. He says they let the men swim that day, but the activity was cut short by one man’s close encounter with a shark.
1898-06-10
A man, woman, and infant wearing ragged clothing labeled “The American Middle Class” sit on a rock labeled “Opportunity” above the rising waters of “Centralized Wealth” in which sharks are circling. In the background, only the head and shoulders of the Statue of Liberty are visible above the water.
“The Rising Waters” by Carl Hassmann is a masterpiece of editorial-cartooning iconography, and a slight example of period hyperbole. It relied on few labels, and the expressions of the couple and the storm clouds easily conveyed the intended flavor. The spirit of the times believed that corporate abuses and an unregulated economy represented a threat to average Americans and liberty itself.
Theodore Roosevelt writes Frank M. Chapman of his wish that he could work exclusively as a naturalist — or the more modern “biologist.” He will look at Camps and Cruises, page 235, to see how Chapman views the relationship between color and haunt and may include a few sentences if the galley proofs of Roosevelt’s article arrive. Roosevelt is “well aware that there are plenty of men who could have done this criticism much better” and he would rather do the work than have it left undone. He encloses a page to go in an appropriate place and will include a long footnote to address Thayer’s Popular Science Monthly criticism, even though Thayer’s opinion changes from one page to another.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-07-05
Russell J. Coles tells Theodore Roosevelt his plan for assisting the war effort, since he has not succeeded in getting into the Army or Navy. Coles intends to reduce the high cost of living by increasing the supply of food and leather from sources which are now going to waste. He will identify sharks, rays, or other fish suitable either for eating or for the production of leather. Coles will go to North Carolina to study this question, and he plans to publish an article with his findings. He feels that having a doctorate would lend additional weight to his findings, and he asks Roosevelt if he would be able to help him acquire an honorary degree in order to advance this cause.
1917-06-04
Print shows Puck talking to a veteran of the Grand Army of the Republic and gesturing toward a shark in the background wearing a military uniform, holding a gaff, and standing on the steps of the “Pension Agency” where a sign hangs that states “Pensions for Everybody. Apply Early. War Record Immaterial.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1899-08-09
The bow of a ship approaches a waterspout labeled “80ct $” and “$2,000,000 a Month,” and a shark labeled “Panic.” Along the side of the ship are President Cleveland as captain, and several men, all unidentified, but may include George F. Edmunds, William M. Evarts, William F. Vilas, Edward L. Hedden, John Sherman, and Augustus Garland, among others. They are about to fire a gun labeled “Repeal of Silver Coinage Act” to break up the waterspout. Caption: Captain Cleveland “Fire that gun, boys – it’s the only way to break it!”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1885-12-16
Many young women try to find space on a raft labeled “Living Wages” in a stormy sea labeled “Sea of Want” that is infested with sharks labeled “Prostitution” and “Disease.” A ship labeled “The Home” sails away in the background beneath storm clouds labeled “Misfortune.” Caption: While there are more applicants than jobs the working-girls’ grim struggle will continue.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1913-04-09