Original Cartoon Art de NAST, Thomas (1840-1902)

The "Father of the American Cartoon" was a German-born American cartoonist who proved the influence of editorial cartoons with his memorable attacks on William M. "Boss" Tweed and the Tammany Hall political machine along with all manner of events during the post-Civil War decades, mainly for "Harper's Weekly" but also other popular periodicals; he's credited with creating the Republican elephant, but he merely popularized the Democratic donkey and Uncle Sam; on a lighter note, he's considered the creator of our modern image of Santa Claus. Original ink drawing, heavy stock 8½" X 10½", n.p., n.y. [ca. 1897]. Very good. Mild edgewear and mild age toning, with single small chip at upper right corner. Delightful example of Nast's campaign against the Democratic political machine known as Tammany Hall. Tammany Hall leader Richard Croker engineered the election of Robert A. Van Wyck (1849-1918), a Democratic politician whose strings Croker could control. Van Wyck's single term (1898-1901) was marked by little but the "Ice Trust" scandal of 1900 in which Van Wyck was implicated and which caused his political ruin, making him a one-term wonder. In this bold scene penned during Van Wyck's 1897 campaign, Croker is shown wheeling a large toy hobby horse (labeled "Robert A. Van Wyck") out of the gate of the "Tammany Hall Stable" onto a cobblestone lane; in the background one can read a political poster text ("FOR MAYOR / of the Greater New York / ROBERT A. VAN WYCK"). Along the bottom edge Nast pens the title "Afraid of His Mare." Signed boldly with his usual "Th: Nast" signature alongside the likeness of Croker. Bottom corners each bear tiny pencil and blue pencil editorial marks, as does the verso. Fascinating is that both appearances of Van Wyck's name show subtle scraping -- suggesting that Nast had originally drawn this cartoon with another candidate's name in those spots, which he later scraped out and replaced with Van Wyck's name once that politician had been named! The reference to "Greater New York" is also of interest, since Van Wyck became the first mayor of the newly-created five-borough "greater" New York. Nast cartoons with Tammany Hall content are among the most desirable, and this is a superb example of his bold draftsmanship.