Existing comment:
King Andy I
IN the pages of the popular illustrated journal, Harper's Weekly, Thomas Nast, armed with his satirical drawings, engaged in repeated attacks against President Andrew Johnson and his administration. The overriding issue was much the same -- Johnson's heated dispute with Radical Republicans in Congress over Reconstruction policies for the South.
This cartoon, which is infused with many of Nast's characteristic satirical nuances, portrays Johnson as a despotic King who is being served by two stalwart cabinet members, Secretary of State William Henry Seward, in the guise of a prime minster, and Navy Secretary Gideon Welles, dressed as the god Neptune. Lady Liberty, her hands in manacles, is seated in front, while behind in the distance members of Congress wait in line for the execution's block.
Thomas Nast, 1866 |