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'{{Infobox Person |name = Thomas Nast |image = thomasnastselfportrait.jpg |caption = Self-portrait of Thomas Nast |birth_date = {{birth date|1840|9|27|mf=y}} |birth_place = [[Landau]], [[Germany]] |dead=dead |death_date = {{death date and age|1902|12|7|1840|9|27|mf=y}} |death_place = [[Guayaquil]], [[Ecuador]] |signature = Appletons' Nast Thomas signature.jpg }} '''Thomas Nast''' (September 27, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a German-born American [[caricaturist]] and [[editorial cartoonist]] who is considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon".<ref>{{cite news | first = | last = | authorlink = | author = | title = The Historic Elephant and Donkey; It Was Thomas Nast "Father of the American Cartoon," Who Brought Them Into Politics. | url = http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D07EFDB113EE033A25751C0A96E9C946997D6CF&oref=slogin | format = PDF | publisher = New York Times | page = SM9 | date = 08/02/1908 | accessdate = 2008-07-12 | quote = }}</ref> Among his notable works were the creation of the modern version of [[Santa Claus]], the male personification of the [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]], [[Uncle Sam]], as well as the political symbols of both major United States political parties: the [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[elephant]] and the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[donkey]]. ==Youth and education== He was born in the barracks of [[Landau]], [[Germany]] (in the [[Rhine Palatinate]]), the son of a [[trombone|trombonist]] in the 9th regiment [[Bavaria]]n band. The elder Nast's socialist political convictions put him at odds with the German government, and in 1846 he left Landau, enlisting first on a French [[man-of-war]] and subsequently on an American ship.<ref>Paine 1974, p. 7.</ref> He sent his wife and children to [[New York City]], and at the end of his enlistment in 1849 he joined them there. Thomas Nast's passion for drawing was apparent from an early age, and he was enrolled for about a year of study with Alfred Fredericks and [[Theodore Kaufmann]] and at the school of the big poop [[National Academy of Design]]. After school (at the age of 15), he started working in 1855 as a draftsman for ''[[Frank Leslie's Weekly|Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper]]''; three years afterward, for ''[[Harper's Weekly]]''. ==Career== [[File:Thomas H Nast.jpg|thumb|left|Photograph of Nast by [[Napoleon Sarony]], taken in [[Union Square (New York City)|Union Square]], [[New York City]].]] [[File:Thomas Nast - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|left|Photograph of Nast taken between 1860 and 1875 by [[Mathew Brady]] or [[Levin Handy]]]] Nast drew for ''Harper's Weekly'' from 1859 to 1860 and from 1862 until 1886. In February 1860, he went to England for the ''New York Illustrated News'' to depict one of the major sporting events of the era, the [[Boxing|prize fight]] between the American [[John C. Heenan]] and the English [[Thomas Sayers]]<ref>Paine 1974, p. 36.</ref> sponsored by [[George Wilkes]], publisher of ''Wilkes' [[Spirit of the Times]]''. A few months later, as artist for [[The Illustrated London News]], he joined [[Giuseppe Garibaldi|Garibaldi]] in Italy. Nast's cartoons and articles about the Garibaldi [[Italian unification|military campaign to unify Italy]] captured the popular imagination in the U.S. In 1861, he married Sarah Edwards, whom he had met two years earlier. One of his first serious works in caricature was the cartoon "Peace" (1862), directed against those in the North who opposed the prosecution of the [[American Civil War]]. This and his other cartoons during the Civil War and [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]] days were published in ''Harper's Weekly''. He was known for drawing battlefields in [[Border states (Civil War)|border]] and [[Confederate States of America|southern states]]. These attracted great attention, and Nast was called by President [[Abraham Lincoln]] "our best recruiting sergeant".<ref>Paine 1974, p.69.</ref> Later, Nast strongly opposed President [[Andrew Johnson]] and his Reconstruction policy. ===Campaign against the Tweed Ring=== [[File:Boss Tweed, Thomas Nast.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''The "Brains"''<br/>Boss Tweed depicted by Thomas Nast in a wood engraving published in ''Harper's Weekly'', October 21, 1871]] [[File:1871 0923 vultures 200.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''A Group of Vultures Waiting for the Storm to "Blow Over"{{ndash}}"Let Us Prey."''<br/>The Tweed Ring depicted by Nast in a wood engraving published in ''Harper's Weekly'', September 23, 1871]] Nast's drawings were instrumental in the downfall of [[Boss Tweed]], the powerful [[Tammany Hall]] leader. As commissioner of public works for New York City, Tweed led a ring that by 1870 had gained total control of the city's government, and controlled "a working majority in the State Legislature".<ref>Paine 1974, p. 140.</ref> Tweed and his associates—[[Peter B. Sweeny|Peter Barr Sweeny]] (park commissioner), Richard B. Connolly (controller of public expenditures), and Mayor [[A. Oakey Hall]]—defrauded the city of many millions of dollars by grossly inflating expenses paid to contractors connected to the Ring. Nast, whose cartoons attacking Tammany corruption had appeared occasionally since 1867, intensified his focus on the four principal players in 1870 and especially in 1871. Tweed so feared Nast's campaign that an emissary was sent to offer Thomas Nast a large bribe, which was represented as a gift from a group of wealthy benefactors to enable Nast to study art in Europe.<ref>Paine 1974, p. 181.</ref> Feigning interest, Nast bid the initial offer of $100,000 up to $500,000 before declaring, "I don't think I'll do it."<ref>Paine 1974, pp. 181–182.</ref> Nast pressed his attack, and an indignant public rose against the Ring, which was removed from power in the election of November 7, 1871. Tweed was arrested in 1873 and convicted of fraud. When Tweed attempted to escape justice in December 1875 by fleeing to Cuba and from there to Spain, officials in [[Vigo]], [[Spain]], were able to identify the fugitive by using one of Nast's cartoons.<ref>Paine 1974, pp. 336–337.</ref> Nast, a German Protestant, saw the Roman Catholic Church as a threat to American values, and often portrayed the [[Irish Americans|Irish Catholics]] and Catholic Church leaders in very hostile terms. In 1871, one of his works, titled "The American River Ganges," infamously portrayed Catholic bishops as crocodiles waiting to attack American school children. Nast's [[Anti-Irish racism|anti-Irish sentiment]] is clearly apparent in his characteristic depiction of the Irish as violent drunks. [[File:Ganges1876.jpg|thumb|200px|left|''The American River Ganges'', a cartoon by Thomas Nast showing bishops attacking public schools, with connivance of Boss Tweed. ''Harper's Weekly'', September 30, 1871.]] [[File:TheUsualIrishWayofDoingThings.jpg|right|thumb|200px|''The Usual Irish Way of Doing Things'', a cartoon by Thomas Nast depicting a drunken Irishman lighting a powder keg. Published in ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'', September 2, 1871.]] In general, his political cartoons supported [[American Indians in the United States|American Indians]] and [[Chinese American]]s. He advocated [[abolitionism|abolition of slavery]], opposed [[Racial segregation|segregation]], and deplored the violence of the [[Ku Klux Klan]]. One of his more famous cartoons, called "Worse than Slavery", showed a despondent black family having their house destroyed by [[arson]], as two members of the Ku Klux Klan and [[White League]] shake hands in their mutually destructive work against black Americans. His cartoons frequently had numerous sidebars and panels with intricate subplots to the main cartoon. A Sunday feature could provide hours of entertainment and highlight social causes. His signature "Tammany Tiger" has been emulated by many cartoonists over the years, and he introduced into American cartoons the practice of modernizing scenes from Shakespeare for a political purpose. [[File:Nast-Tammany.jpg|thumb|200px|left|''The Tammany Tiger Loose—"What are you going to do about it?"'', published in ''Harper's Weekly'' in November 1871, just before [[Election Day (politics)|election day]]]] ===Party politics=== ''Harper's Weekly'', and Nast, played an important role in the election of [[Ulysses Grant]] in 1868 and 1872; in the latter campaign, Nast's ridicule of [[Horace Greeley]]'s candidacy was especially merciless. Nast became a close friend of President Grant and the two families shared regular dinners until Grant's death. Nast encouraged the former president's efforts in writing his autobiography while battling cancer. He moved to [[Morristown, New Jersey]] in 1872 and lived there for many years. In 1873, Nast toured the United States as a lecturer and a sketch-artist, as he would do again in 1885 and 1887. He shared political views with his friend [[Mark Twain]] and was for many years a staunch Republican. Nast opposed [[inflation]] of the [[currency]], notably with his famous rag-baby cartoons, and he played an important part in securing [[Rutherford B. Hayes]]’ presidential election in 1876. Hayes later remarked that Nast was "the most powerful, single-handed aid [he] had",<ref>Paine 1974, p. 349.</ref> but Nast quickly became disillusioned with President Hayes, whose policy of Southern pacification he opposed. He was not given free rein to attack Hayes in ''Harper's'', however; with the death of [[Fletcher Harper]] in 1877, Nast lost an important champion at the journal, and his contributions became less frequent. He focused on oil paintings and book illustrations, but these are comparatively unimportant.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}} [[File:Schurz Corruption.jpg|thumb|left|[[Carl Schurz|Interior Secretary Schurz]] cleaning house, ''Harper's Weekly'', January 26, 1878]] [[File:Thomas Nast from Harpers Weekly.png|thumb|right|200px|portrait of Thomas Nast from ''[[Harpers Weekly]]'', 1867]] In 1884, his advocacy of [[civil service]] reform and his distrust of [[James G. Blaine]], the Republican presidential candidate, forced him to become a [[Mugwump]], whose support of [[Grover Cleveland]] helped him to win election as the first Democratic president since 1856. In the words of the artist's grandson, Thomas Nast St Hill, "it was generally conceded that Nast's support won Cleveland the small margin by which he was elected. In this his last national political campaign, Nast had, in fact, 'made a president.'"<ref>Nast & St. Hill 1974, p. 33.</ref> Nevertheless, Nast's tenure at ''Harper's Weekly'' ended with his Christmas illustration of December 1886. In the words of journalist [[Henry Watterson]], "in quitting ''Harper's Weekly'', Nast lost his forum: in losing him, ''Harper's Weekly'' lost its political importance."<ref>Paine 1974, p. 528.</ref> ===After ''Harper's Weekly''=== In 1890, Nast published ''Thomas Nast's Christmas Drawings for the Human Race''. He contributed cartoons in various publications, notably the ''Illustrated American'', but with the advent of new methods and younger blood, his vogue was passed. In 1892, he took control of a failing magazine, the ''New York Gazette'', and renamed it ''Nast's Weekly''. Now returned to the Republican fold, Nast used the ''Weekly'' as a vehicle for his cartoons supporting [[Benjamin Harrison]] for president, but the magazine had little impact and ceased publication shortly after Harrison's defeat.<ref>Paine 1974, p. 540.</ref> In 1902 [[Theodore Roosevelt]] appointed him as the United States' Consul General to [[Guayaquil]], [[Ecuador]] in [[South America]]. During a deadly yellow fever outbreak, Nast stayed to the end helping numerous diplomatic missions and businesses escape the contagion. At age 62, in 1902, he died of [[yellow fever]] contracted there. His body was returned to the United States where he was interred in the [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in [[The Bronx]], [[New York]]. ==Notable works== [[File:Santa Claus 1863 Harpers.png|right|thumb|Nast's [[Santa Claus]] on the cover of the January 3, 1863, issue of ''[[Harper's Weekly]]''.]] Nast's depiction of iconic characters, such as Santa Claus and Uncle Sam, are widely credited with giving us the recognized versions we see today. *A classic version of [[Santa Claus]], drawn in 1863 for ''Harper's Weekly''. Before then, most depictions of Santa Claus showed a tall, thin man. Nast drew him as the bearded, plump man known today. *[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] elephant<ref name="Rodibaugh">[http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2008/4/2008_4_14.shtml Jennifer J. Rodibaugh] "Cartoonery," ''American Heritage'', Spring/Summer 2008.</ref> *[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] donkey *[[Tammany Hall]] tiger, a symbol of [[Boss Tweed]]'s [[political machine]] *[[Historical Columbia|Columbia]], a graceful image of the Americas as a woman, usually in flowing gown and tiara, carrying a sword to defend the downtrodden. *[[Uncle Sam]], a lanky image of the United States (first drawn in the 1830s; Nast and [[John Tenniel]] added the [[goatee]]). *John Confucius, a variation of [[John Chinaman]], a traditional caricature of a Chinese Immigrant. *[[s:The Fight at Dame Europa's School|The Fight at Dame Europa's School]], 1871 ==Supposed origins of the word "Nasty"== There is a misconception among some that the word "[[wikt:nasty|nasty]]" originated from Thomas Nast's name, due to the tone of his cartoons.<ref>[http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth03.htm About.com]</ref> However, the word "nasty" has origins hundreds of years before Thomas Nast was born.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=nasty|title=''nasty'' etymology |accessdate=2009-02-01|last=Harper |first=Douglas |work= |publisher=[[Online Etymology Dictionary]] |date=November 2001}}</ref> ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==References== [[File:Nast asks Pardon.jpg|thumb|right|Thomas Nast asks [[pardon]] for his sketches.]] *Nast, T., & St. Hill, T. N. (1974). ''Thomas Nast: Cartoons and Illustrations''. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-23067-8 *{{cite book |title=[http://books.google.com/books?id=2BwxAAAAMAAJ Th. Nast: His Period And His Pictures] |last=Paine Albert Bigelow |authorlink=Albert Bigelow Paine |coauthors= |year=1904 |publisher=The MacMillan Company |location=New York |isbn= |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=2009-07-10}} ISBN 0-87861-079-0 *{{Wikisource1911Enc Citation|Nast, Thomas}} {{clear}} ==External links== {{commonscat|Thomas Nast}} * [http://elections.harpweek.com/ Elections 1860-1912] as covered by ''Harper's Weekly''; news, editorials, cartoons (many by Nast) ** [http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/cgaweb/nast/ Nast cartoons] * [http://graphicwitness.org/group/harper.htm#nast1 still more Nast] * [http://www.thomasnast.com/ ThomasNast.com] * [http://www.sonofthesouth.net/Thomas_Nast_Civil_War.htm Thomas Nast Civil War Pictures] * [http://greatcaricatures.com/articles_galleries/nast/html/01_nast.html Thomas Nast Caricatures of the Civil War, Reconstruction, Santa Claus, Napoleon, Catholicism, Boss Tweed, Tammany Hall and more.] * [http://www.csubak.edu/~gsantos/cat15.html Cartoons of Thomas Nast: Reconstruction, Chinese Immigration, Native Americans, Gilded Era] *{{Cite Appleton's|Nast, Thomas|year=1900}} *{{NSRW Cite|Nast, Thomas}} * {{Find a Grave|6522488|Thomas Nast}} * [http://www.jfpl.org/digital_collect.cfm The Thomas Nast Collection--Morristown & Morris Township Public Library, NJ ] {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Nast, Thomas | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = September 27, 1840 | PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Landau]], [[Germany]] | DATE OF DEATH = December 7, 1902 | PLACE OF DEATH = [[Guayaquil]], [[Ecuador]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Nast, Thomas}} [[Category:American caricaturists]] [[Category:American editorial cartoonists]] [[Category:American political writers]] [[Category:American satirists]] [[Category:People of the American Civil War]] [[Category:People of New York in the American Civil War]] [[Category:Anti-Catholicism in the United States]] [[Category:German immigrants to the United States]] [[Category:American people of German descent]] [[Category:American artists of German descent]] [[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]] [[Category:People from Morristown, New Jersey]] [[Category:Deaths from yellow fever]] [[Category:Infectious disease deaths in Ecuador]] [[Category:1840 births]] [[Category:1902 deaths]] {{Link GA|es}} [[ca:Thomas Nast]] [[de:Thomas Nast]] [[es:Thomas Nast]] [[fr:Thomas Nast]] [[id:Thomas Nast]] [[it:Thomas Nast]] [[nl:Thomas Nast]] [[pt:Thomas Nast]] [[ru:Наст, Томас]] [[sv:Thomas Nast]] [[uk:Томас Наст]]'