Cartoon of the Week — Revealing Reality

Week of November 2, 2026

A large man labeled Monopoly dominates a desk beside a much smaller partner in an oversized hat; discarded reform promises fill a wastebasket. — **Me and My Partner.** C. J. Taylor, *Puck*, December 25, 1889. Monopoly dominates the desk beside a much smaller political partner, while reform promises end up in the wastebasket. Library of Congress →

Charles Jay Taylor, cover of Puck, December 25, 1889, p. 303. Papers marked “Civil Service Reform,” “Economical Gov’t,” and “Broken Promises” lie in or beside the wastebasket. The oversized hat is marked “Grandfather’s.” The image suggests a political partnership in which monopoly holds the upper hand. Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, item 96506287. No known restrictions on publication.

Week of October 26, 2026

A snake labeled Monopoly threatens Liberty, its tail coiled around the U.S. Capitol, while Puck addresses Uncle Sam. — **In Danger.** Joseph Keppler, *Puck*, February 9, 1881. A snake labeled “Monopoly,” its tail wrapped around the Capitol, threatens Liberty as Puck asks Uncle Sam: “What are you going to do about it?” Library of Congress →

Published in Puck, February 9, 1881, pp. 386–387. The snake’s markings connect monopoly power with members of the Senate. Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, item 94500771. No known restrictions on publication.

Week of October 19, 2026

William Howard Taft stands with figures labeled Father John D., Mother Morgan, Sister Harriman, and trusts, while a dog labeled Wall Street faces a cat labeled The People. — **Taft and the Trusts** (descriptive title), apparently 1908—the drawing is signed “’08.” The cartoon portrays Taft as part of the big-business family, with “Wall Street” menacing “The People.” The original publication and exact date remain unconfirmed.

The verse adapts Eugene Field’s “Jest ’Fore Christmas.” The family labels identify John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, and Edward H. Harriman; other figures represent the trusts. Reading the image as political satire, its message is that financial power threatens the public through a friendly candidate. Image supplied by Brian Woods; artist and publication not independently verified.

Week of October 12, 2026

Two views of Monopoly: a comic wealthy trust figure frightens a small man on the left; on the right, a monster clutches Liberty and a coin while trampling the U.S. Capitol. — **“Monopoly”**, by Udo J. Keppler, *Puck*, December 15, 1909. A comic picture of the trusts gives way to a monster clutching Liberty and money while trampling the Capitol: concentrated power is a danger to freedom and representative government. Library of Congress.

Published as the centerfold of Puck, volume 66, no. 1711. The left-hand cartoon is by Louis M. Glackens. Keppler contrasts the familiar, laughable trust caricature with a powerful, calculating menace to Liberty and the institutions of government.

Week of October 5, 2026

An oversized armored knight representing Monopoly rides a locomotive against a barefoot worker representing Labor on a thin horse. — **“The Tournament of Today—A Set-To Between Labor and Monopoly”**, by Friedrich Graetz, *Puck*, August 1, 1883. Monopoly towers over a barefoot worker on a scrawny horse: industrial wealth faces labor in a contest that is unequal from the start. Library of Congress.

Originally published as the centerfold of Puck, volume 13, no. 334. Monopoly’s shield names legislative corruption, its lance a subsidized press, and its plume arrogance. Labor rides a horse labeled Poverty and carries a hammer labeled Strike. The cartoon presents industrial conflict as a contest in which one side holds overwhelming advantages.

Week of September 28, 2026

Theodore Roosevelt tries to rope a pig labeled The Trusts as it breaks through a fence whose rails represent publicity and law. — **“A Glimpse into the Future—Fast and Tight”** (1906), *St. Paul Pioneer Press*. President Theodore Roosevelt tries to rope “The Trusts” with government control as the animal crashes through a fence built of publicity and law.

Week of September 21, 2026

The Bosses of the Senate, an 1889 political cartoon showing enormous trust magnates looming over senators while the People's Entrance is closed. — **“The Bosses of the Senate”** (1889), by Joseph Keppler. Enormous figures representing the leading trusts loom over the senators below; the “People’s Entrance” is closed while the “Entrance for Monopolists” stands open. Library of Congress.