The Old Print Shop

Spanish Bull in Cuba Gone Mad. The, : It Must be Stopped. If Spain can't do it, WE MUST!

  • ARTIST: Thomas Nast

  • PUBLISHER: Published by Harper's Weekly. November 29, 1873.

  • MEDIUM: Wood engraving,

    DATE: c.1873.

  • EDITION SIZE: Image size 13 1/4 x 9 1/16" (33.7 x 23.1 cm).

  • DESCRIPTION: This political cartoon likely came as a result of the Virginius Affair. The incident began on October 23, 1873, but escalated to war cries in November. <br><br> Cuba was in the middle of the Ten Years' War (1868-1878) with Spain when the incident occurred. Virginius was an American vessel and had been caught by Spain illegally transporting supplies and men to Cuba. The United States government had been completely unaware of this, but the capture of an American vessel in international waters and subsequent execution of the crew outraged the nation. Feelings were particularly heated in the South, where the captain had been a beloved Confederate officer. <br><br> In this cartoon sailors, soldiers and unarmed citizens cry for war. Many are already working to throw themselves over the fence separating them from the battlefield. Uncle Sam is ahead of them. He already has one leg over it, ready to lunge at the roaring bull, whose backside stares him in the face. President Grant offers a sword labeled "U.S.A." which he appears all too eager to use.

  • ADDITIONAL INFO:

  • CONDITION: Generally good condition, some staining in the margins.

  • REFERENCE: