Friday, July 23, 2010

Iconic Shot: Political identity

(click to enlarge)
"The Third-Term Panic" by Thomas Nast, originally published in Harper's on November 7, 1874, is the first notable depiction of an elephant as the symbol of the Republican party.  The first known reference to Republicans as the "Grand Old Party" came two years later, and the GOP abbreviation followed in 1884.

2 comments:

Holly said...

Interesting how political cartoons played such a role in USA's early history. I know there are still cartoons, but I doubt they [usually] make such an impact...so what's the modern equivalent?

AMW said...

Political cartoons have been around for several centuries, and the best (Michael Ramirez, for instance) still have a place in the national conversation. I'd say they will remain relevant if the intended commentary stays on-point instead of leaning toward mean spirited nonsense.