The Democratic Tiger-in-the-Manger, and the Submissive (M)asses.

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  SKU: 91979

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• ARTIST: Thomas Nast

• PUBLISHER: Published by Harper's Weekly. April 22, 1876.

• MEDIUM: Wood engraving,

  DATE: 1876.

• EDITION SIZE: Image size 9 x 13" (23 x 34.3 cm).

• DESCRIPTION: This cartoon comments on the Democratic Party's influence during the Long Depression (1873–1879) and suggests that the public was passively accepting its leadership—despite the economic turmoil. One of the major political battles during this period centered on currency policy: greenbacks versus specie, or paper money versus gold-backed coin. <br><br> Generally, Republicans supported specie, fearing the long-term effects of inflation. Democrats, on the other hand, pushed for more greenbacks, believing that an expanded paper currency would stimulate spending and help struggling businesses. The Republicans claimed victory with the Resumption Act of 1875, which set a course for reducing greenbacks and increasing gold-backed currency, with the aim of allowing people to redeem paper money for coin by 1879. However, greenback advocates scored a win of their own in 1878, when Congress reversed some of the limits and expanded greenback circulation once again. In the end, the public was largely indifferent—once people realized paper money held the same value as gold, there was little interest in exchanging it, and the Resumption Act quietly lost relevance. <br><br> In the cartoon, a menacing Democratic tiger lounges in a manger stuffed with dollar signs. Scrawled on the wood are defiant phrases like “The People’s Money,” “I Will Not Be Coerced,” and “What Are You Going to Do About It?”—a mockery of the party’s stance on currency control. Behind the tiger, a series of posters ridicule Democratic messaging: “The business of the country crippled. The closing of public buildings. Post offices, Custom-houses… by order of King Democrat 1876,” alongside references to “King George III 1776”, “We want all the money for Southern claims,” and “A Dead-Lock: Business of the Country.” <br><br> Nast’s point is clear: the Democrats are portrayed as economic tyrants, hoarding the nation’s money and blocking progress—while the public, suffering under financial strain, watches on without resistance.

• ADDITIONAL INFO: This piece is in a 12 x 17 inch archival mylar for handling.

• CONDITION: Good condition.

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• CATEGORIES: 18th-19th Century Subjects , Caricatures and Satirical , Thomas Nast