The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-08-04
POLITICAL cARlcATURE.
Fairly History Of This Art Now So Fopr

Oh lHfS ATV NO" go kOPU~
49, lar. d, -., r..
Political caricature in the United
States virtually dates from the first ad.
ministration of Andrew jackson. There
had been occasional efforts to use carl
cature as a weapon previous to that
time, but they were too crude in exc
cution, too spasnodic in appearance,
and too indefinite in purpose to be
taken into consideration in tracing the
beginning of our modern school. The
advent in national politics of so robust
personality as Gen. jackson seems not
unnaturally to have stimulated re-
sort to pictorial means for both assail-
ing and defending him. He had entered
the presidency as the savior of his
country, military hero of indomitable
valor His fight against the
United States bank, his vocifer-
Gus and unceremonious meth
DDS of conducting controversies
with political opponents the subservi-
ent conduct of his famous Kitchen
cabinet" and it's dissolution when Van
Buren, withdrew from it, had combined
during his first ter1h to enhance great
ly his attractiv eness as a popular idol.
He appeared before the people as their
only champion against the oppressive
designs of huge money monopoly in
which the whole world was joined. He
was the peoples Friend in all crises:
the giant who, single-handed, was
fighting their battles against enemies
from all quarters Every conspicuous
act of his public life was performed
amid uproar and turmoil Even when
his Kitchen cabinet" was dissolved,
there was so much dramatic distur-
bance that one of the political carica-
lures of the time pictures him, armed
with churn-dasher, clearing the kitch-
en- of all opponents as with the very
Bosom of destruction.
In the United States the ny-fig-
ured group-cartoon appears to have
been steady favorite since Jackson's
time. Its immediate inspirers were I'M
ioubtedly Gillray and John Doyle,
more especially the latter. whose
sketches had been filing The shop
windows of London for two years when
similar productions began to appear
On this side of the water. Doyle had
followed Gillray at considera BILE dis
lance, however; for he was far in
ferior artist in every way, having slight
perception of humor and being hard and
infleXible in his methods. What Doyle
lid was to take Gillrays occasional act
Of giving correct likeness, and make
it his own per1nanet practice. His
sketches are valuable to-day chiefly
fors&Ris quality, all his drawings of
leading men of the period being verita bic
portraits of real historical value, some
Of them the best in existence. Our early
American political caricaturists fol-
lowed Doyle's example as faithfully az
their powers as draughtsmen would
permit. That they did not succeed very
well in the beginning was not strange.
Drawing was scarcely taught at all in
this country at the time, and the only
persons who were skilled in it had drift
ed here from abroad, and had little
knowledge of our politics and public
men. 1t was only in very rare instances,
therefore, that Autograph caricature
Of an earlier date than 1910 can be
found which is even tolerable, either in
conception or execution. There was
slight improvement after that period,
and by 1850 sufficient advance had
been made to justify the assertion that
the foundation of school of American
political caricature had been laid.-Jo-
seph B. BishOp in Century,