The Derby (Posies in the Paddock)
A full-page sports spread built around a large horse's head in a wreath of roses lettered 'The Derby', with smaller comic panels of jockeys, bettors and a ticket window. The central text says the Derby 'dopesters' have already hung the laurels on Bimelech 'while the Bradley beauty is still in his stall'; a corner panel offers 'Gallahadion' at '2 bucks to win'. The bandwagon tag is a weak fit: the panels joke about the crowd backing the favourite.
Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon
- Date
- May 3, 1940
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Washington Evening Star (cartoonist Jim Berryman)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- Economy and finance
- Event
- 1940 Kentucky Derby
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), Records of the U.S. Senate, Jim Berryman Political Cartoons (NAID 5730852), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Jim Berryman, Washington Evening Star. National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the U.S. Senate, 5743116 (NAID 5743116).
Text on the object
THE BIMMY BANDWAGON RIDERS CLAIM THE PLACE HORSE WILL TRAIL BY 12 OR 15 LENGTHS....... DUST ISN'T BAD AT ALL NOW--- GUESS MAYBE IT'S SETTLIN 'FORE I GET TO IT! IT'S KINDA SILLY OL' BOY-- I DON'T SEE WHY WE SHOULD BOTHER TO RUN! THEY MIGHT AS WELL PAY OFF ON BIM AND SCRATCH HIM... WELL SUH, WHEN MAH LI'L GRAN'SON HEER'D 'BOUT A OREGON HOSS A-RUNNIN IN KAINTUCKY HE LIKED TO A-SPLIT HIS SIDES... BETCHA HE SPILT JULEP ALL OVAH HIS HIGH CHAIR! 'AIGHT / $2 STRAIGHT YEAH, I DID SELL 1 TICKET, BUT TH' GUY HAD ON DARK GLASSES AN' HIS HAT PULLED DOWN! THE BOYS WHO WANT A LITTLE PROFIT ON THEIR MONEY WON'T HANG AROUND THESE WINDOWS I DON'T BLAME YUH, KID! RIGHT IN TH' PRIME AN' THEY MAKE YUH RUN AG'IN A CANNON BALL! "EXPERTS" SAY THE FIGHT FOR THAT 2nd PLACE DOUGH WILL BE THE REAL RACE.... THE DERBY GALLAHADION 2 BUCKS TO WIN 2 TO PLACE 5 TO SHOW MY OWN "HOT-HAT-SPECIAL" JIM BERRYMAN THE DERBY DOPESTERS HAVE ALREADY HUNG THE LAURELS OF THE KENTUCKY CLASSIC ON BIMELECH WHILE THE BRADLEY BEAUTY IS STILL IN HIS STALL. AS FAR AS THEY'RE CONCERNED THE RUNNING IS A MERE FORMALITY....
