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Thomas Nast’s 1871 Harper’s Weekly caricature powerfully exposed corruption within Tammany Hall during the Gilded Age. The image depicts William Tweed’s head transformed into a money bag, labeled “The Brains,” highlighting his control and illicit wealth. This influential artwork played a crucial rol...
Thomas Nast’s 1874 Harper’s Weekly caricature features a Republican elephant wearing a donkey's skin and attempting to escape a trap. This image powerfully established the elephant as the dominant symbol for the Republican Party in America. It was notable for its strategic use of symbolism during th...
Nast's 1870 Harper's Weekly cartoon showing a donkey labeled 'Copperhead Press' kicking a dead lion is credited with popularizing the donkey as the enduring symbol of the United States Democratic Party.
Nast's 1863 Harper's Weekly illustration depicting Santa Claus visiting Union soldiers is credited with standardizing the modern American image of Santa as a jolly, fur-suited figure distributing gifts.
Nast's November 1871 Harper's Weekly cover depicts a Tammany tiger mauling a woman representing the Republic in a Roman arena, helping galvanize New York public opinion against the Tweed Ring.
Drawn by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly in 1872, these biting caricatures helped defeat presidential candidate Horace Greeley by attacking his political inconsistencies.
Nast's 1872 Harper's Weekly cartoon shows Boss Tweed standing beyond the reach of the law, questioning whether a figure of such political power could ever face legal accountability in Gilded Age America.
