Above, by artist Bernhard Gillam, the April 16th, 1884 debut of Presidential candidate & eventual Republican Party nominee James Blaine, as The Tattooed Man. Blaine was the late 19th Century’s version of current candidate, Newt Gingrich — a former Speaker of the House, known for his astoundingly arrogance, reputation for lying, and a long history of corruption and improprieties, which inspired the satire here, as a man whose body is covered head-to-toe with his numerous sins.

Titled The National Dime Museum — Will be Run During the Presidential Campaign, this was the first of twenty-two cartoons run in Puck magazine which depicted Blaine this way. Puck founder Joseph Keppler, had previously used the motif of tattooing a political figure with their sins, but without returning to the same target, again and again, as happened here. Blaine as the Tattooed Man was shared by the roster of Puck’s artists, several of whom took their turn at him (Click here to see a later Tattooed Man cartoon, which was illustrated by Opper). The Tattooed Man series of cartoons was widely acknowledged as affecting the close 1884 election enough — by spotlighting his character flaws to voters — that Blaine lost.

In this first appearance though, Blaine — far right — is depicted as just one element of 1884′s political freak show. The take on Blaine hit a highly popular, dead-on chord, that Puck responded to by repeating it. I’d highly suggest to today’s political cartoonists a resurrection of the idea — while Newt is still in the running — featuring Newt Gingrich as “The New Tattooed Man”.

Click on the above cartoon, to both view it in detail (the highest resolution I’ve yet posted), and read the tattooes (which change from cartoon-to-cartoon) and various captions scattered throughout.

Doug Wheeler

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