Today, Part 2 of our extracts from the extremely rare 1888-published comic book Blaine Language from Truthful Blaine, with text by Henry Liddell and art by G. Roberty, and published by Paquet & Co., New York. Blaine Language satirizes James G. Blaine, widely known for his corruption and brazen lying, who was the 1884 Republican Party nominee for President.

Above is the front cover.

Click on the above & below pictures, to view each cartoon in greater detail.

Following the first part, (click here to sse it), the remainder of the book involves Truthful James’ Great Wild East Show and Strictly Moral Republican Circus, which is basically a series of posters, parodying Blaine in the style of circus, freak show, and stage posters of the day.

Below, the opening poster, warning that the show strictly closes November 6th (Election Day), then moves up “Salt River” — a reference to political defeat.

Much fun was had with Blaine’s reference to himself as “The Plumed Knight”.

The above is likely a reference to Blaine’s infamous “Mulligan Letters”.

We close on a reference to James Blaine as “The Tattooed Man” — a reference to “The Tattooed-Man” series of cartoons which ran in Puck magazine four years earlier, many of which we’ve been showing here on SuperI.T.C.H. Artist Roberty seems to have missed the point, that the tattooes in that series illustrated Blaine’s sins.

Note also that Blaine Language from Truthful James had an 1888 companion cartoon book — Evolution of a Democrat, A Darwinian Tale, by Liddell & Roberty, making fun of Democratic President Grover Cleveland. Evolution is also a scarce book (but not nearly as much as the Blaine book). The front cover of that book, is shown below.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionComics