Uniting Mugwumps and the Masses: The Role of Puck in Gilded Age Politics, 1880-1884

This hypertext is intended to provide you with as many ways "in" as possible. The Text-Based section is an analysis of cartooning as well as Gilded Age political culture; the individual essays can be read in a linear progression or independently of each other. "A Brief History of Cartoons" documents particular highlights in the development of the artistic as well as editorial nature of the genre; "Mainstream and Elite Political Culture" describes the political environment in the decades after the Civil War and also sketches the Mugwump perspective; the final section, "A Popular Medium", deals specifically with Puck and Joseph Keppler's efforts to convey Liberal viewpoints to the general public. This final essay in the Text-Based area offers links to most of the Image-Based features, which engage with a variety of cartoons published between 1880 and 1884. The explorations of “Our National Dog Show" and "Inspecting the Democratic Curiosity Shop" are deconstructions of particular cartoons; "Caricature and the Carte-de-Viste" examines Keppler's and his assistants' artistic styles during the emergence of photography; "The Campaign Against Grant" is a selection of lithographs which appeared before the Republican convention of 1880. So browse at your discretion. 

Originally published on the XRoads site for the UVA American Studies program. Years range from 1995-2005. Content is captured at the level of functionality available on the date of capture.