Today in 1874, a cartoon appeared in Harper's Weekly featuring what many believe is the first Republican “elephant,” beginning a long association with the Party of Lincoln and the pachyderm we’ve all come to recognize. It was drawn by Thomas Nast and, like many 19th century cartoons, it combines overt symbolism with more subtle digs — in this case against critics of President Grant, who decried his bid for a third term amid the scandals of his administration. It’s a typical cartoon by Nast, too: he gives us a richly detailed composition and effectively uses chiaroscuro to take advantage of the inky blacks possible with mass media printing presses of the day. The German-born Nast, who grew up in New York, technically used an elephant in an 1871 cartoon to represent Republicans, making that the first appearance, but it did not catch on in the way that this 1874 cartoon did. So, we remember this one (pictured) as the beginning of one important legacy in political lambasting.
NCPA
