Regulation as Wall Street Pretends to See it: Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons #99
The wealthy crying that any laws restricting their reckless financial gambling (i.e., what gave us both the First and current Second Great Depressions), and doing anything they want to the benefit of their personal selves when it works — and to the harm of everyone else when it doesn’t — is “Socialist Tyranny”, is hardly [...]
James Blaine’s “Tattooed-Man”, June 18th, 1884: The Writing on the Wall
Above, by Puck magazine founder & artist, Joseph Keppler, Sr., The Writing on the Wall. On stage & shrinking from the light of the words “Republican Revolt” on the backwall, are 1884 Republican Presidential nominee James G. Blaine, as the Tattooed Man, and his Vice-Presidential running mate. Blaine — well known nationally for his corruption [...]
Why Not Let Them Have It All?: Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons #98
Today, appropriate to this week’s Republican National Convention, with a born-into-riches millionaire Wall Streeter as the G.O.P. Presidential nominee, calling for still more tax breaks for most wealthy, paid for on the backs of everyone else, we have the Frederick Burr Opper cartoon, Let Them Have It All, and Be Done With It!. Appearing in [...]
James G. Blaine’s Olympus of Corruption & Tattooed Man Revue
In 1884, the Republican Party nominee for President was former Speaker of the House James Blaine. Blaine was the equivalent of today’s Newt Gingrich — known for his lies, corruption, and immorality. His nomination resulted in Republicans’ first post-Civil War loss of the Presidency. To hilight why Blaine shouldn’t become President, Puck magazine’s artists produced [...]
James G. Blaine’s “The Tattooed Man”: He Can’t Out Run His Record, July 30th, 1884
There may no longer be any urgency in pointing out the parallels between the corrupt & morally lacking present Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, and the G.O.P.’s 1884 Presidential nominee, James Blaine. But, having already dug out and scanned a large number of Blaine cartoons — including several in the twenty-two cartoon Tattooed Man series — [...]
The Monopoly Missionaries & the Wicked Island: Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons, Part 70
WARNING: The below 19th century cartoon contains racist imagery. The above cartoon, depicting stock market manipulators/”Monopoly Missionaries” Cyrus Field (holding oar), Jay Gould (mid-boat), and William H. Vanderbilt (bow), weeping at how their good works are unappreciated by the Masses — who are shown as (the 19th century racist depiction of) “inferior savages”. This illustration [...]
Off for the Summer, 1882: Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons, Part 59
In the 19th century, it was the habit of the wealthy and middle class to abandon the sweltering summer heat of large cities, such as New York and London, and take a summer vacation out in the country-side, overseas, or at the seashore. This activity was frequently depicted in comic periodicals, and gave the impression [...]
The “Three Honest Men” of Wall Street: Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons, Part 43
Frederick Burr Opper’s June 18, 2025 cover for Puck magazine — The “Three Honest Men” of Wall Street Declare for Blaine — depicts, of course, the furthest thing from “Honest Men”. Shown in operatic pirate garb, is Wall Street’s top pirate of the latter 19th century — Jay Gould — flanked by two of the [...]
Jay Gould, the King of the Robber Barons, Part 2
"… the Most Accomplished of All Modern Criminals … an Inspired Fiend … he had Not a Conception of a Moral Principle" Descriptions of Jay Gould by historians and biographers Click here to read Part 1 In the early 1880s, Jay Gould was engaged in a frenetic series of predatory transactions that gave him [...]
Caricature vs. the Corporation # 04: The Tournament of Today
In the early 1880s, Puck Magazine published a series of cartoons that waged war against men who became rich through ruthless business dealings and exploitative labor practices. The imbalance of power between corporations and organized labor was parodied in the centerspread of the August 1, 2025 issue. The text below accompanied the print at the [...]
