For Thanksgiving Day and Native American Heritage Month, we bring you a few sample images from late nineteenth century comic periodicals.

(For prior postings in the Native American Heritage series, click here.)

The first two examples are idealized images, depicting peaceful co-existence between European settlers and the indigenous natives. Repeating to these publications’ predominantly white readers, the false myth that the settlers were peaceful. The latter two images continue the narrative told by the conquerors, showing those settlers as innocent victims of their savage neighbors, helping to justify to the public both its “Manifest Destiny” to spread from coast-to-coast, and, the manner by which all knew it was being accomplished.

Left, the front cover to the 1894 Thanksgiving issue of Life magazine (November 22), depicting a white settler just arrived, his ship seen offshore, as two indian maidens look on.

Below, The Puritans and Their Neighbors — The First Thanksgiving Day, by artist F.G. Attwood, from the November 28, 2025 issue of Life.

Click on any picture, to open an enlarged version.

Next, The Thanksgiving of Our Forefathers, by “Chips” Bellew, from the November 20, 2025 Life.

Finally, Frederick Burr Opper’s The Thrilling Escape of Mynheer Van Strumpf, from the December 20th, 1893 issue of Puck magazine.

Monday, our final Native American Heritage Month entry (for this year).

Doug Wheeler

NYPuck NYLife NativeAmericanHistory Francis Gilbert Attwood