Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast was born on September 27th of 1840 and died December 7th of 1902. He played a big role in the Progressive Era. Thomas was very in to drawing. IN 1856 he started working as a draftsman for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. His drawings appeared for the first time in Harper's Weekly on March 19th 1859, when he illustrated a report exposing police corruption.
This is a picture of Thomas Nast
This is a picture of Thomas Nast
In February of 1860, he went to England for a New York Illustrated News to depict one of the major events of the era, the fight between American John C. Hennan and the English Thomas Sayers. Nast later then left the New York Illustrated News to work again for Frank Leslie's Illustrated News. Later in 1862 he became a staff illustrator for Harper's Weekly. During the American Civil War Thomas Nast was know for drawing battlefields in northern and southern states. They attracted great attention. After the war Nast was strongly against President Andrew Johnson who he depicted in a serious of cartoons that marked "Nast's great beginning of field caricature.
This is a picture of Thomas Nast in cartoon form
This is a picture of Thomas Nast in cartoon form
Nast's drawings became instrumental in the downfall of Boss Tweed, the very powerful Tammany Hall leader. As a commissioner for the public for New York City, Tweed led a ring that by 1870 had gained total power of the cities government. Tweed and his associates defrauded the city of millions of dollars by grossly inflating expenses paid to the contractors connected to the ring. Tweed was so afraid of Nast's campaign that he sent the artist a bribe of $100,000, which was represented as a gift from a group of wealthy benefactors. Nast negotiated for more before finally refusing an offer of $500,000 with the words "Well I don't think I'll do it. I made up my mind nto long ago to put some of these fellows behind bars". Nast then put his attack in Harper's, and the ring was removed from the power of the election of 1871. Tweed was arrested in 1873 and was convicted for fraud.
The "Brains." Boss Tweed depicted by Thomas Nast in a wood engraving
The "Brains." Boss Tweed depicted by Thomas Nast in a wood engraving
In 1877, Harper's Weekly publisher Fletcher Harper had died and it resulted a change in Relationship between Thomas and his editor George William Curtis. His cartoons appeared less frequently, and he was not given free to criticize Hayes or his policies. In the early 1860's Thomas and George frequently had different opinions on political matters on politically the role of cartoons on political discourse.
This is a picture of Fletcher Harper the publisher of Harper's Weekly
This is a picture of Fletcher Harper the publisher of Harper's Weekly
During the presidential election of 1880 Thomas thought that he could not support the Republican candidate James A. Garfield, because of his involvement in the Credit Mobilier Scandal. Thomas did not wish to attack the democratic candidate Winfield Scott Hancock, because he was a friend and a Union General whose integrity commanded respect. As a result, "Nast's commentary on the 1880 campaign lacked passion", according to Halloran. He didn't submit any cartoons into Harper's Weekly between the end of March of 1883 and March 1st of 1884 because of sickness.
In the year 1884, Curtis and Nast agreed that they cannot support the Republican candidate James G. Blaine, a proponent of high tariffs in the spoils system who they perceived as personally corrupt. Instead they supported the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland, whose platform of civil service reform appealed to them. Nast's cartoons helped Cleveland become he first Democrat president since 1856.
Nast's tenture at Harper's Weekly ended with his Christmas illustration of December 1886. It was said by the journalist Henry Watterson that "in quitting Harper's weekly, Nast lost his forum: in losing him, Harper's Weekly lost it's political importance."
This is a portrait of Thomas Nast from Harper's weekly in 1867.
In the year 1884, Curtis and Nast agreed that they cannot support the Republican candidate James G. Blaine, a proponent of high tariffs in the spoils system who they perceived as personally corrupt. Instead they supported the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland, whose platform of civil service reform appealed to them. Nast's cartoons helped Cleveland become he first Democrat president since 1856.
Nast's tenture at Harper's Weekly ended with his Christmas illustration of December 1886. It was said by the journalist Henry Watterson that "in quitting Harper's weekly, Nast lost his forum: in losing him, Harper's Weekly lost it's political importance."
This is a portrait of Thomas Nast from Harper's weekly in 1867.