Monday May 14 editorial cartoons day 2: historical perspectives

Parts of the following have been excerpted from the University of Virginia education program.

Please read the following and respond on a separate document (send or hand in) the questions that follow. This is to assure that you have actually read. There will be no further assessment. Your responses are due by the close of class on Tuesday.

I) A Brief History of Cartoons

Cartoons are for the most part composed of two elements: caricature, which parodies the individual, and allusion, which creates the situation or context into which the individual is placed. Caricature as a Western discipline goes back to Leonardo da Vinci's artistic explorations of "the ideal type of deformity"-- the grotesque-- which he used to better understand the concept of ideal beauty. Intended to be lighthearted satires, their caricaturas were, in essence, "counter-art. The sketch of "A Captain of Pope Urban VIII" is representative of the new genre in that it is a quick, impressionistic drawing that exaggerates prominent physical characteristics to humorous effect. At its best, it brings out the subject's inner self in a kind of physiognomical satire-- as the example presented here seems to be a comment on some facet of the Captain's masculinity. Caricaturas became popular with collectors, but they perceived the "fanciful exercises" as curiosities rather than viable artistic productions. They were not displayed publicly, and so one of the earliest modes of established graphic satire remained in the parlor and drawing room.

   While caricature originated around the Mediterranean, cartoons of a more editorial nature developed in a chillier climate. The Protestant Reformation began in Germany, and made extensive use of visual propaganda; the success of both Martin Luther's socio-religious reforms and the discipline of political cartooning depended on a level of civilization neither too primitive nor too advanced. A merchant class had emerged to occupy positions of leadership within the growing villages and towns, which meant that a core of people existed, who would respond to Luther's invectives and be economically capable of resisting the all-powerful Catholic Church. In regards to the physical requirements of graphic art, both woodcutting and metal engraving had become established trades, with many artists and draughtsmen sympathetic to the cause. Finally, the factor which probably influenced the rise of cartoons more than any other cultural condition was a high illiteracy rate. Luther recognized that the support of an increasingly more powerful middle class was crucial to the success of his reforms, but in order to lead a truly popular movement he would need the sheer weight of the peasantry's numbers. The distribution of simple broadsheet posters or illustrated pamphlets throughout population centers proved to be an effective strategy because the images would reach a large amount of people and enjoy the greatest possible amount of comprehension.

An excellent example of Luther's use of visual protest is found in two woodcuts from the pamphlet "Passional Christi und Antichristi", originally drawn by Lucas Cranach the Elder. These two images contrast the actions of Jesus with those of the Church hierarchy; the hegemony of religion at the time ensured that when someone drew a Biblical episode like that of Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the Temple, everyone would recognize it.

Benjamin Franklin's "Join or Die", which depicts a snake whose severed parts represent the Colonies, is acknowledged as the first political cartoon in America. The image had an explicitly political purpose from the start, as Franklin used it in support of his plan for an intercolonial association to deal with the Iroquois at the Albany Congress of 1754. It came to be published in "virtually every newspaper on the continent"' reasons for its widespread currency include its demagogic reference to an Indian threat, as well as its basis in the popular supersition that a dead snake would come back to life it the pieces were placed next to each other.

The Story of William "Marcy" Tweed and his bete noir Tom Nast is known to most students of American history, and familiar to every aficionado of the history of American political cartooning. This confrontation is credited by consensus with establishing once and forever a fledgling craft. . . as an enduring presence in American political culture. In its telling is shown the power of the giants of the genre to fuse creative caricature, clever situational transpositions, and honest indignation to arouse the populace and alter for the better the course of human events.

Undoubtedly, Nast was the greatest popular artist of the Civil War; Lincoln was frequently quoted as saying Nast was his best recruiting sergeant, and his scenes of once-thriving southern cities like Richmond did much to convey the magnitude of destruction to Northern audiences.

 (Does this remind you of any paintings?)

After Nast became the featured cartoonist at Harper's much of his art was focused on the local New York scene. The primary shortcoming of Nast's work overall is that the quality of his satire never matched the quality of his art.

Joseph Keppler became the most commercially and critically acclaimed cartoonist of the Gilded Age. Shortly after his arrival in America in 1867 Keppler "fell in with a distinguished crowd of journalists, writers, and artists"-- including a young reporter named Joseph Pulitzer. Keppler and his associates had established an important connection with the local populace, relying heavily on international affairs and German-ethnic comedy. Unlike Nast's coarse etchings, Keppler's cartoons reflected "a grace of artistic approach" derived from his exposure to popular Austro-German styles of the day.

Keppler held that unscrupulous lawyers only encourage frivolous lawsuits. The family is destroyed: babies are abandoned in their nest; mother and father are carried off in opposite directions, delivered into the clutches of their respective lawyers.

Keppler's views of the family and women's rights  were more traditional than progressive in this regard.

The success of a political cartoon rests in its ability "to influence public opinion through its use of widely and instantly understood symbols, slogans, referents, and allusions". "People cannot parody what is not familiar" to the audience; so the best cartoons incorporated popular amusements which emerged after the Civil War, as well as universally-recognized themes from the Bible, Shakespeare, and other "classic" sources.

President Chester A. Arthur

Cartoons concentrated on political activity, its artists tried to reflect facets of that environment's general atmosphere and distort them in such a way as to illuminate particular criticisms. For many years sports had been one of the favorite cartoon metaphors for politics. The detail from "The Political Handicap" is such an example, as its parody lies in the comparison of equestrian ability and effectiveness on the campaign trail. The image juxtaposes 1880 Republican presidential nominee James A. Garfield's confidence in the saddle with the indecisive Democrats, who had been unable to elect one of their own since James Buchanan in 1856.

Another trait of the political arena that held a great deal of weight with the masses was its emphasis on masculinity. One scholar of the era concisely describes the nature of gender identity in this regard:

Late nineteenth century election campaigns were public spectacles that ended for one side in triumph, for the other in humiliation. Men described these contests through metaphors of warfare and, almost as frequently, cock fighting and boxing. Victory validated manhood.

In Conclusion
The decades of the nineteenth century after the Civil War, there emerged a political cultural rife with corruption and so provided the cartoonist with a fertile environment for spectacle and humor.

Please respond to the following questions, as pertains to the above material. These are due at the end of class on Tuesday.
1 What are the two elements that make up a cartoon?
2. What was the purpose of Da Vinci's "Ideal of Deformity"?
3. What was the purpose of the original caricaturas?
4. Why were caricatures an effective way for Martin Luther to communicate his message?
5. Take a look at Cranach's caricature. (look, carefully)  Why in particular would have the populace related to this image?
6. What was the original purpose of Franklin's cartoon?
7. How was it later adapted?
8. What three elements made Thomas Nast's work so effective?
9. Why did Lincoln find Nast's cartoons an effective tool for his political agenda?
10. In a minimum of 25 words, explain the message in Nast's "Emancipation"?
11. What are some of the images Keppler uses to how lawyers are corrupt?
12. Discuss some of the problems with female emancipation, according to Keppler's view.
13. What type of people running for office when Chester A. Arthur was president?
14. Look at the Garfield comic. What type of animal are democratics riding on and what is the message being conveyed?