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Thomas Nast: The Father of American Caricature:
They say, "the pen is mightier than the sword." That was certainly true in the second half of the 19th Century, when America stood at a watershed moment, and one man's pen captured the historic and dramatic events with masterful strokes. Thomas Nast was born to German parents in Landau, Bavaria and came to New York at the age of six. He dropped out of school early to help support his immigrant family. Drawing on his artistic talent, the 15-year-old found a job as a draftsman for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper before moving to Harper's Weekly in 1859. Early on, Nast found himself drawing scenes from the battlefields of the Civil War, illustrating victory and defeat, and detailing the life and suffering of the soldiers during the course of the war. Following and illustrating the war changed Nast and his style. By the early 1870s, he had become more satirical, using cartoonish images and symbols to communicate his views to a wide spectrum of readers.
He used his growing influence successfully in a campaign against the corruption in New York's political machine, known as Tammany Hall. To vilify increasing corruption, Nast drew ringleader "Boss" Tweed with a money bag for a head.
At the same time, two other symbols found their way into Nast's art: a donkey representing the Democratic Party, and an elephant representing the Republican Party -- both are as quintessentially American today as the tall, Lincolnesque figure of Uncle Sam, another Nast staple. Nast's most cherished symbol to date, however, is Santa Claus, whom he portrayed as a jolly, old man with a round belly and white beard. |