Thomas Nast
Father of American political cartooning
Thomas Nast was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon". He was a critic of Democratic Representative "Boss" Tweed and the Tammany Hall Democratic party political machine. Among his notable works were the creation of the modern version of Santa Claus (based on the traditional German figures of Sankt Nikolaus and Weihnachtsmann) and the political symbol of the elephant for the Republican Party (GOP). Contrary to popular belief, Nast did not create Uncle Sam (the male personification of the United States Federal Government), Columbia (the female personification of American values), or the Democratic donkey, though he popularized those symbols by his artwork. Nast was associated with the magazine Harper's Weekly from 1859 to 1860 and from 1862 until 1886.
Relationship Network
Master student
- Theodor Kaufmann Master
Artworks by this artist (433 total)
- Stop, thief!. 1871
- Speaker Carlisle
- Pacification 1878
- Our new state of Prussia 1889
- The lion’s share 1871
- The Luther of the nineteenth century 1871
- Christmas in camp
- Earn more than you spend 1878
- The dead beat 1871
- Southern exiles on their way North 1863
- Drawing illustrating Twelfth night 2
- Shylock, we would have moneys and votes 1872
- A tariff to protect those mills operations would put the duty upon the Canadians not on the cotton cloth
- Bringing the thing home–(Dedicated to the Baltimore Convention) 1872
- Don’t believe in that 1871
- On or about this time 1886
- Our constant traveling companion 1871
- African American boy marching with a broom 1869
- Historic examples of Southern chivalry 1863
- Once more, to the Senate!.