Cartoon from 31 March 1886. It depicts the Republican Party after their defeat in the 1884 presidential elections rebuilding their party symbol, the elephant, by stuffing it with "bloody shirts". This is a reference to their rally cry "to wave the bloody shirt", which reminded their voters of the effects of the American Civil War.
Joseph Keppler was a 19th-century Austrian-American illustrator, caricaturist, cartoonist and actor. He published his first cartoons in Austria, but eventually moved to the United States. There he made numerous political cartoons, some of which follow a sequential narrative which make them examples of early comic strips. Keppler's most important contribution to comic history was the establishment of the satirical magazine Puck (1871-1916). In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Puck was one of the leading American illustrated magazines, alongside Judge. It not only offered room to many early cartoonists, but also popularized comics and cartoons among the general public.
Early life
Joseph Keppler was born in 1838 in Vienna as the son of a baker. He studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and published his first humorous illustrations to the local satirical magazine Kikeriki. After graduation, Keppler discovered that being a painter hardly brought in any money. He therefore became a background painter for a theatrical troupe, touring along with them through Germany and Italy. Keppler even joined them on stage as a comedian. He earned extra money by restoring old paintings. By 1864, Keppler was married and came to the conclusion that it might be better if he immigrated to the United States. His father had already moved to northern Missouri in 1848, where he'd opened a general store. Keppler settled in St. Louis in 1867, initially as a theatrical actor.
'Cleveland's Einzug in Washington, 4 März 1895' ("Cleveland's Entrance in Washington, 4 March 1895", Puck nr. 417, 4 March 1885 ). President Grover Cleveland rides the Democratic Party donkey passing by the Republican R.R.R. Hotel. He is surrounded by many well-known politicians of the day, including (from left to right): Roscoe Conkling, George Edmunds, Augustus Garland, "Hampton", "William H. Barnum", L.Q.C. Lamar, "Grace", "Jones", Joseph Pulitzer, James G. Bennett, Henry B. Ward, Samuel J. Randall, Thomas Hendricks, Abram S. Hewitt, U.S. Grant, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, "McDonas", Daniel Manning, George W. Curtis, Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel J. Tilden, Thomas F. Bayard (carrying the flag reading Cleveland's campaign slogan: Public Office is a Public Trust. G. Cleveland"), Joseph Medill, William C. Endicott, John Logan, James G. Blaine, Carl Schurz, William F. Vilas, Cox, Winfield Scott Hancock, Benjamin Harrison, Henry Watterson, and Hermann "Raster". In the left corner of the illustration, Joseph Keppler drew a self-portrait, protecting the little mascot of his satirical magazine Puck, with above Keppler Joseph Pulitzer.
Puck
In 1869, Keppler established the first of several humorous magazines which aimed at a German-American demographic. They were all published in German as well as English. His first attempt was the weekly Die Vehme (1869-1870), but the magazine went bankrupt after only a year. The follow-up, Frank und Frei, merely lasted half a year. Keppler's third attempt turned out to have the longest lifespan. In March 1871, he established the humorous magazine Puck. Originally it only circulated in St. Louis, but in the fall of 1872 Keppler and his family moved to New York City, where he found a job at the publishing company of Frank Leslie. He became a political cartoonist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper too until 1876. Around the same time, Keppler introduced Puck to New Yorkers and his magazine quickly became a huge success. The first New York issue in German was printed on 27 September 1876 while the English language version hit the market on 14 March 1877. While the German-language version already ceased to be by the end of the 1880s, the English version of Puck would thrive for more than 50 years.
Covers by Joseph Keppler for Puck, respectively 22 January 1879 and 21 January 1885.
Puck borrowed its name from the similarly named character from William Shakespeare's play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The character also appeared as a mascot beside the title on the magazine's front page. He was accompanied by the slogan: "What fools these mortals be!", a quote from Shakespeare's play. Puck had humorous columns, but most people bought it for the cartoons, which were mostly political in nature. The content in Puck was printed in black-and-white, except for the front cover, double-page centerfold and back cover. Their first color double-page centerfold appeared in March 1877. The first one with a comic strip was published on 1 July 1888. In terms of ideology, Puck supported the U.S. Democratic Party and ridiculed the U.S. Republican Party numerous times. They also had an anti-Catholic stance and were against women's voting rights.
'The Bosses of the Senate' (23 January 1889).
The Bosses of the Senate
On 23 January 1889, Keppler published what is arguably his most iconic editorial cartoon: 'The Bosses of the Senate' (1889). It depicts various billionaires as huge bloated giants with bellies that are big bags of money. Their presence in the U.S. Senate looms large over the Senators who are all depicted as tiny insignificant figures. In the back we see a door which reads "People's Entrance" but it is locked. On the wall, a quote from Abraham Lincoln's famous 'Gettysburg Address' can be read, but slightly altered. Instead of "the government by the people and for the people" it states "the government by the monopolists and for the monopolists". The entire drawing is a sharp commentary on the power of businesspeople over politicians. In the late 19th century, companies who held a monopoly could become incredibly wealthy with little limit to their earnings. It wasn't until the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act and 1914 Clayton Antitrust Act that significant measures were taken against these monopolies.
'The Bosses of the Senate' has proven to be remarkably timeless. Its powerful message still resonates today, with the cartoon having been reprinted in many history books and remaining popular among opponents of capitalism, oligarchies and business monopolies. In the Internet Age, it has been frequently shared online, sometimes with users replacing the character's faces with names, faces and logos of present-day U.S. multinationals and billionaires.
'A Picture for Employers', Puck, 21 August 1878.
Prototypical comics
Keppler created a few cartoons which are told in a sequence, making them comparable to a comic strip. An early example is 'Triumphal Entrance of U.S. Grant in St. Louis'/ Reception of Carl Schurz in St. Louis' (Puck nr. 9, 1872). The first panel depicts former president and general Ulysses S. Grant arriving in St. Louis, only to see nobody in the streets except for a wandering Native American and a barking dog. This is contrasted with the second panel, in which politician Carl Schurz addresses an enthusiastic crowd while waving from a balcony.
In the 21 August 1878 issue of Puck, he drew 'A Picture for Employers', which is separated into two images. On the left, we see a group of Chinese immigrants dozing off on opium and eating rats. Underneath the drawing it reads: "Why they can live on 49 cents a day". The picture on the right shows a white father returning home to his wife and children, while the text underneath says: "And they can't". The rather racist message is that low-paid work is better left off to Asian immigrants.
A similar politically incorrect cartoon was printed on 14 July 1880: 'A Female Suffrage Fancy'. It fantasizes what would happen if women were allowed to vote. In the center we see a woman dressing up like a man. The six images that surround her show the consequences of female voting. Men would have to take care of children, while women are off to vote and they would presumably only vote for attractive candidates and chase away ugly ones.
The same year, Keppler also drew another anti-Chinese cartoon, 'The Chinese Invasion' for Puck, depicting various scenes of Chinese immigrants arriving in the United States. In some panels, they are portrayed as being attacked by mobs, while in others they are welcomed by attractive ladies, arriving in such quantities that they are literally sitting on the roofs and chimneys of buildings and hold anti-Irish manifestations. The center of the image shows Lady Liberty helping dozens of Chinese ashore, by giving them buoys that read "protection", "industry", "humanity", "treaty obligation", while her shield reads "liberty and justice". But in the panel below, the Chinese show their "ingratitude" by hosing white people with a literal "Chinese wave".
'A Female Suffrage Fancy', Puck nr. 175, 14 July 1880.
In 1881, Keppler made another comic strip-like cartoon entitled 'A Dangerous American Institution - The Free and Untrammeled Revolver' (1881) which ridicules free gun control. A large revolver is depicted in the center of the image. Just like 'A Female Suffrage Fancy', the various little drawings around the center image show a doom-filled scenario. Guns would fall in the hands of such dangerous people like children, college students, women (!) and lunatics. Keppler mentions only one kind of person who would have the right to use a gun, namely policemen. But even here the tone is cynical. The policeman is described as: "The one man who has a right to use it... but never knows how."
Keppler questioned the American Dream with 'Everybody Born In This Country Can Contemplate The Possibility of Becoming The President of The United States' (24 May 1882). The cartoon shows U.S politicians Benjamin Butler, Ulysses S. Grant and John Kelly seated in a coach pulled by regular people. The politicians hold big bags of money, in reference to the corruption scandals that dogged them at the time. Around this central image we see various little cartoons, portraying people not as privileged as the politicians and who are therefore unlikely to ever enter the White House at all.
In Puck nr. 277 (28 June 1882), Keppler drew a stinging sequential cartoon mocking the Christian idea of redemption: 'The Murderer's Route Straight to Heaven - Bringing Religion into Dispute'. It shows an executed murder who converted to God and was forgiven by a priest who literally wipes the words "murder, arson and robbery" from the "Blackboard of Crime" with the "sponge of absolution", as "years of sin are wiped out in ten minutes." This is contrasted with another panel, portraying the victim's widow experiencing a personal Hell on Earth, while grieving at a cemetery. Meanwhile, her murdered husband, who had no time to ever pray for redemption, arrives in Purgatory, accompanied by demons.
Another sequential cartoon by Keppler, 'Congressional Cracksmen', ran in Puck nr. 284 (16 August 1882). Divided in three panels, it depicts Puck's mascot and Uncle Sam realizes the U.S. Treasury safe has been robbed, with a hole in the floor leading to the Chamber of Congress, shown in the second panel, with a piece of paper lying on the floor, reading: "Congressional Theatre - The Hit of the Season!!! 'The 40 Thieves' - Keifer manager, Robeson property man". In the third panel, we spot various politicians leaving the building by a ladder, reading 'Adjournment of Congress'. Among the crooks we recognize John A. Logan, John Sherman, Horace F. Page, George M. Robeson and James D. Cameron.
Perhaps one of Keppler's finest examples of a prototypical comic strip is 'How To Keep A Girl' (Puck, 1883). It summarizes 12 ways to keep your maid employed, which basically come down to letting her do what she wants, while paying her for nothing. All 12 ways are depicted in a series of comical scenes in which the maid is portrayed with a comically exaggerated, almost ape-like face.
Other contributors to Puck
Originally, Keppler drew all cartoons in Puck, but as the magazine became a bestseller he employed more cartoonists. Among them were Ralph Barton, Frank Beard, Louis Dalrymple, Walter Dean, Samuel Ehrhardt, F.L. Fithian, Bernhard Gillam, Louis Glackens, Walter Dean Goldbeck, Bert Green, Syd Griffin, Livingston Hopkins, F.M. Howarth, Frank Kemble, Albert Levering, Tom Merry, Frank Nankivell, Rose O'Neill, Frederick Burr Opper, J.S. Pughe, A.P. Schultz, Charles Taylor, James Albert Wales and Eugene Zimmerman. At the time Puck was one of the best selling American magazines, thus giving all these young cartoonists and illustrators a huge platform. In 1884, a rival appeared on the market, Judge, which would gain an equally large audience.
'Everybody born in this country can contemplate the possibility of becoming the President of the United States', Puck nr. 272, 24 May 1882. In the center, the American Bald Eagle (dressed as Uncle Sam) rides a carriage, pulled by "underpaid workman", "starving laborer", "war widow", "sewing girl", "old merchant", "poor clerk" and "cripple", whose ropes read "tax", while the Eagle's whip reads "revenue tariff". Inside the carriage, billionaires Jay Gould, Russell Sage, Cyrus W. Field, and William H. Vanderbilt hold large money bags, while the spinning wheels read "corporations" and "monopoly". In the little panels around the central image, we spot scenes of corruption and poverty and additional caricatures of Chester A. Arthur, George M. Robeson, Samuel J. Tilden, Roscoe Conkling, John Kelly, Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin F. Butler, and Joseph W. Keifer.
Final years and death
Between January 1889 and June 1890, a London edition of Puck was published, but without much success, presumably since most English readers already enjoyed Punch. In May 1893, Keppler published a selection of his 56 best cartoons named 'A Selection of Cartoons from Puck by Joseph Keppler' (1877-1892). The same year, he brought a smaller version of Puck on the market to tie in with the Chicago World's Fair. Unfortunately, the workload brought a lot of stress along which had a bad effect on his health. In 1894, he passed away.
Legacy
Joseph Keppler's son, Udo J. Keppler (who later changed his name to Joseph Keppler Jr.) was also a political cartoonist. He was Puck's art director from 1890 until 1913, when he sold the magazine. In 1916, Puck became property of William Randolph Hearst, but nevertheless only lasted until 5 September 1918. Hearst re-used Puck and its tagline between September 1931 and 1989 in the Sunday funnies of his newspapers under the name 'Comic Weekly'. A testament to Puck's legacy is Puck Building in Manhattan, New York City, which once were the magazine's headquarters from 1887 on. Gilded statues of Puck around the building's exterior still remind present-day visitors of its former inhabitants.
Joseph Keppler was an influence on Eugene Zimmerman.
Joseph Keppler.