The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-02
THE C~ARTOONISTS' ART
MODERN ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT
OF THE POLITICAL CARTOON.
First Used During the Civil War
Best Ca~ricaturists Well Paid.
Philadelphia Times.

teresting developments of modern art-that
Is the art of political c~artooning. During
the last political campaign cartoons figured
more prominently than ever before, and
owing to the peculiar attitude of the rum
ming candidates and to the general mixed
up condition of parties, abundant material
was furnished to the professional carica-
turists to add zest to the campaign. The
~ewspape entered into the field more gen.
orally than heretofore, and many clever
young artists were developed and brought
into considerable prominence.
The field for the ~caricaturist has been
permanently extended, and hundreds Of
newspapers, comic weeklies and other peri
odicals, will in the future make cartoons
a feature of their regular editions. While
the political cartoon is to-day one of the
great features of a daily newspaper. two
score years ago it was unheard of, and a
professional caricaturist would have looked
in vain for a position where he could earn
his daily bread and butter.
The political cartoon came into promi-
hence for the first time in the campaign of
1860. LINCOLN was the Republican nominee,
Douglas was the Democratic candidate, and
John c. Breckenridge headed the ticket of
u DOltlIlS MIIl5 VI li6 DGIIAOCi par ~
Up to this time the daily papers had
printed comic pictures, but no attempt had
been made to caricature prominent people
in such drawings. One of the first papers
to start the cartoon habit was the Cleve-
land Campaign Plain Dealer, which sup
ported Douglas with such energy that it
was willing to invent or risk anything that
would help its favorite candidate. This
sheet was particularly fiery in its denuncia-
tons of the President Buchanan) and the
Republican nominee, Abraham Lincoln.
Following the lead of the Cleveland pa
Per, single sheets, with wood-cut cartoons
adjoining the whole of one side, were pub
lished and scattered throughout the coun-
try for political purposes. A few other
large daily papers adopted the cartoon and
helped to make the campaign interesting
for the candidates and to their readers gem
orally. All of these early cartoons, how
ever. were crude affairs. The idea TO be
conveyed was probably just as bright as
any depicted to-day, but the drawings were
crude and rough. 1t may be said in gen.
eral that the cartoons were far from artis-
tic, and they did not belong to art. Ihey
were often cruel, brutal and positively m
decent. This is all in great contrast to the
best cartoons of to-day, which are in most
cases finished and perfect as any pictures.
One of the most conspicuous cartoons
published in the Plain Dealer of that cam
Dal2n represented Lincoln anu OOUSldS
lighting il out in the pugilistic arena. Nat
urally< the Democratic candidate has the
advantage of the Republican, and Douglas
is pictured WithNthe head of Lincoln under
his arm in the very act of furnishing him.
Outside the ring ropes the leading Demo-
Gratis of the day are shouting words OF en-
ieering at the 'Rail-splitter." The concep-
ton Of the picture is worthy of a latter day
caricaturist. but the execution is SO poor
that none of our present artlstS would IKE
TO Law claim to it.
During the next campaign the cartoon
had grown, and it became a more effective
against General Mcclellan. Harper's Week
" took up the cartoon and brought 1t to the
highest development OF the day. some OF
the most vigorous cartoons of any time
were published in the weekly during this
campaign. Thomas Mast was the first
artist in the field who made a distinct name
for himself as a clever cartoonist. His war
pictures first attracted attention, but his
highest powers as a caricaturlst were de-
veloped when Harpers, Weekly MADE It's
famous assault upon the Tweed ring in
New York.
NAST'S INFLUENCE.
His pictures in the Weekly probably
caused the final downfall of the greatest
political ring and power that ever gained
control OF a large city. George William
Curtis was editor of the Weekly at the
time. and under his vigorous management
the crusade against Tweed and his gang
was pursued with unremitting energy. 1t is
said by some that Curtis originated the
ideas embodied in Nasts cartoons, and that
he merely carried out the conceptions and
gave to them the striking features that
made them 50 popular.
powers Mr.. Mast withdrew from active
work. and he has practically made no car
to0ns since. He had no rivals in the field
then, but to-day it is very different. The
field is covered with clever caricaturists,
whose work is equal to anything performed
by Thomas Mast. Puck and Judge entered
unon the field soon after as distinctly
comic papers, and with the evident purpose
of making the cartoon their chlet feature;
Harper's Weekly had popularized the car
toon, and the publishers of the new comic
weeklies thought they saw a new field for
diligent development.
mind has been attested to time and again;
Their success became phenomenal, ana
even to-day there are no better paying pub
iicsIions than those leading comic weeklies.
The late Bernard Gillian was early asso-
ciated with Judge, and at the time OF his
that paper was estimated at $4,000. But
this was not all paid as a salary, for he was
one of the owners of the weekly.
Keppler was one of the StrongeSt cartoon
lists in the field, and he did much toward
making Puck what it was in its early his
tory. Keppler was a pioneer, and Wnen he
entered the field he had few rivals, but at
his death there We're a number of strong
caricaturists cOntending for the few pluns
of the profession.
To-day the cartoon occupies a prominent
position in both daily and weekly papers.
The artists on the former enjoy good sal
aries. but their work must be done with the
same rapiditY as all other journalistic Ia
bors. Current events furnish the ideas for
the cartoons, just the same as they give
the editorial writer the subject matter for
his hastily-written articles. One has to be
composed almost as rapidly as the other.
Some sudden political change makes the
managing editor anxious to have a cartoon
drawn Illustrating the idea, and the ARTIST
is probably given only a few hours in which
to elaborate and execute the design. The
professional caricatur1St on q daily paper
is thus subjected to a strain that the fa-
nous cartoonist of the literary weeklies
never know. The latter have a whole week
in which to think over and perfect their
ideals of a picture. Consequently, they can
give the subject closer observation and the
picture more elaborate development. A
good conception can be greatly improved if
the artist has the time to fill in the little
details and make it artistic in execution.
WELL-PAID ARTISTS.
One of the leading workers in this line on
the daily press is G. G.. Bush, of the New
York Herald, who is paid $4,000 for his
work. His work is conscientiously done
and suggests the work of the artists for
the literary weeklies. Homer L. Davenport,
of the New York Journal, who is barely
thirty-one years of age, has jumped into
prominence in the last four years. He was
brought to the East from San Francisco,
where his newspaper work was confined
chiefly to reporting baseball. horse racing
and similar events. AS ne never made any
study of art his genius must have been born
in him.. and not acquired. During the last
political campaign he made most of his
rreputation in New York, and well earned
the large salary given him.