Content note: 1880 Puck cartoon with slavery-era objects and a caricatured Black head. This object is shown as it was published. Why
Inspecting the Democratic Curiosity Shop (Puck cartoon, c. 1880)
Colour lithograph by Joseph Keppler from Puck, printed by Mayer, Merkel & Ottmann (LOC dates it c. 1880). Hancock in general's uniform exclaims 'Great Scott! Am I to be the Head of that?' at a stuffed donkey labelled 'Democracy', in a shop of objects tied to the Civil War and slavery: a whipping post, a 'Fugitive Slave Act' sign, a 'Slave Tracking Bloodhound', a ship 'Alabama', 'K.K.K.' and 'Repudiated Bonds'. The cartoon attaches past stigma to the party behind the nominee.
- Date
- 1880
- Period
- Pre-1914
- Made by
- Puck (Keppler & Schwarzmann), artist Joseph Keppler
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Hayes Administration
- Leader
- Rutherford B. Hayes
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Event
- 1880 US Election
- Techniques
- TransferName-calling
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Library of Congress, retrieved October 2, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (US, 1880); LOC: no known restrictions
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
